Life After You
by TheDarkestHours
Summary: She was there, although in appearance she was a little different her eyes couldn't lie to him. Teddy. She had come back into his life. Owen couldn't do more than run to wrap her in his arms... Teddy's life after leaving Seattle, her life in Germany and the impact of her return. [Eventaully Towen] (Teddy, Henry, Owen, Andrew Perkins and Arizona) A/U *English version*
1. Chapter 1

**Please be kind, english isn't my language, I've never taken professional english classes. All I know is thanks to movies, books, songs, etc. so my grammar may not be perfect. I** **f there's any grammatical correction you would like to make let me know kindly.**

 **(This is the english version of my story "Teddy Soledad")**

 **A/N**

 **Okay, although it's not the first time I write, it's the first time I publish something.** **I started writing this right after Teddy left (I suffered so much) and finished it about after Christina left too. So yes, this is somewhat old. But when I found out that Teddy was returning my inspiration came back so I decided to add a few more chapters (currently I already have 8 finished). I still don't know whether to leave the end I had already written or adapt it to what is currently happening on Grey's.**

 **That said, in case I decide to leave the end that I've already written if you are fans of Owen/Amelia I don't think this fic is for you. And don't take me wrong, I like Amelia, but I don't love her as much as I loved Teddy (and Cristina) when it was written she didn't even figure on Grey's map.**

 **A/N 2**

 **The inspiration for this fic was born after listening to the song "Lola Soledad" by the Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz (** **the fic in Spanish is named after said song** **it) it made me think about how lonely and depressed Teddy would surely be in Germany. E** **very chapter it's inspired by the title and / or phrase of a song.**

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 **Chapter 1**

 **Alone Again, Naturally** …

 _But as if to knock me down, reality came around, and without so much, as a mere touch cut me into little pieces..._

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" _You´re fired, it´s a done deal"_

Owen's words echoed in her head, over and over and over again, and as much as Teddy closed her eyes tightly or covered her ears with the pillow it wasn't very clear if the cold of Germany, the lack of sleep or the hunger made her feel as if she were back in that office where Owen had once again decided the course of her life. But the worst of all was that, once again, she allowed it. At first it were decisions that to her didn't have much importance, or better said, it was easier if Owen made the decisions for her, for example to buy or not that car, to go or not on vacations, to go or not to a party with friends, etc, etc, etc. Nevertheless, those small decisions that she considered insignificant gave Owen the power, without her knowing, to make more significant changes in her life.

The first time was after 9/11, when Teddy had doubts about joining or not joining the medical corps in Baghdad. Owen was very persuasive enough to make her see the war as potential adventure whit friends, so without further thought Teddy went to the recruiting offices and within a few weeks she was on a plane bound for Baghdad without knowing in the nightmare that would become that "adventure", as Owen had put it, a nightmare that haunts her to this day.

The second time was when she received that call in which Owen invited her to a job interview to join the staff of Seattle Grace Mercy West. _With the best people and the best facilities_ , or at least those had been his words. That was probably the worst decision she'd ever made, but once again, How to tell Owen, no? Maybe that was her problem, love him so much that she didn't mind putting her wants and needs aside to please Owen, but just that call was the one that, naively made her think, _"Now, this is my chance, our chance to be finally together"_ little or nothing she knew about the real reason for his call, nothing more and nothing less than a gift, disguised as a "mentor" for his girlfriend, Cristina Yang.

However, this time Teddy was not going to give in to Owen, the army had changed her, the war had changed her so, with all the pain of her heart she decided to accept the reality, Owen loved someone else and she just wouldn't lower herself and beg for his love, and in the end she admitted that things took a positive course, Owen and her became friends again, in addition to gaining the respect and admiration of her student, Cristina, in the end the decision to stay in Seattle wasn't so bad, or so Teddy thought.

That was just the tip of the iceberg… Little by little all the memories began to come to her mind, like a great sandstorm of which no matter how much she tried she couldn't escape, Teddy tightened her eyes and pillow against her ears, shaking her head thinking that this would stop the storm, thinking that the memories would go away but no, they were there, the memories, he was there, he, Henry.

His jade green eyes, bright even in the worst of circumstances, his smile, his voice, the ring of his voice that said _"I love you"_ or when in the morning he whispered in her ear _"Buongiorno, Principessa"_ after being completely enamored and touched with the movie "Life is Beautiful" and declare that from that moment was his favorite film. Suddenly Teddy got up from the bed throwing the pillow to the other end of the room while letting out from the depths of her insides a cry of pain that no one would hear, well, almost nobody, although Teddy had a hard time accepting she wasn't alone, never again would be, although Henry physically would no longer be with her, a part of him would be.

Teddy thought that in all the years she had been a surgeon and after surviving a war she would feel familiar with injustice buy, What kind of God would send a baby with a mother like her?

" _It's a done deal, you're fired, pack your stuff"._

Once again that phrase, that night, Teddy still could not process what had just happened when she stupidly decided to open the envelope of the clinical lab that had been forgotten about 3 weeks in the drawer of her desk.

The little stability that was still in her was destroyed in an instant.

POSITIVE

 _Positive_ , Teddy was pregnant, at that moment an avalanche of emotions passed through her but the one that most prevailed without doubt was the fear. How could she be able to raise a child in the emotional state she was in? Teddy thought that once again life was laughing at her, life and its ironies. Just then Teddy decided to pack her stuff and once and for all leave Seattle, go to Germany, start over.

So here she was, in a small house on the outskirts of Landstuhl, at 4:30 a.m. m. crying for her late husband, Henry, who would never know the joy of being a father, crying for the poor baby in her womb, crying for her, for her luck. That night Teddy cried like she had never cried before, she cried until she had no more tears left to pour, until her head stung hard and her throat burned. And so, when her body ran out of tears and energy, she succumbed to an uneasy dream.

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 _In my hour of need, I truly am indeed, alone again, naturally._

 ***Song: Alone Again, Naturally – Gilbert O'Sullivan.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **My loneliness and I**

 _Please, whenever you can, call me, because my loneliness and I can't get along without you here…_

 _"Buongiorno, Principessa"._

Teddy felt Henry's warm and comforting breath in her ear, his voice still hoarse from sleep echoing in her ears as he dragged her from unconsciousness to a new day.

 _"Buongiorno, Principessa. Love, wake up"._

Even though Teddy struggled, for some reason, to stay asleep, Henry's voice, along with his kisses that ran from her temple to her shoulders, made the task impossible. But there was something else, something was out of place, little by little Henry's voice began to grow more and more tenuous at the shrill sound of something Teddy still couldn't identify.

 _"Buongiorno, Principessa... Buongiorno, Principessa... Buongiorno, Princi..."._

Suddenly, just like the sweet sound of his voice had come, it disappeared, replaced by the loud ringing of the phone that managed to get Teddy out of the best of dreams she had had in a long time.

Opening his eyes, Teddy ran into the ugly truth; Henry wasn't at her side, she was alone. The phone was still ringing, almost as if to say that she should answer as soon as possible, that it was urgent, that someone had something important to tell her, but Teddy simply remained lying down in bed, looking at the ceiling waiting for the phone to stop ringing, a few seconds later the phone stopped and the house was completely silent again, except for the noise of the night rain that was pounding against her window.

A few minutes later the phone rang again and this time managed to get Teddy out of her stupor, she got up slowly and sat on the edge of the bed looking at the red numbers of the clock that was on the nightstand next to her bed, 3:15 a. m., this time, with her mind more clear she thought. _"Who can be at this hour? Almost nobody knows my home's phone number."_

Slowly, Teddy went to the living room to pick up the phone, hoping that anyone who wanted to talk to her would stop, but she wasn't so lucky. With a shaking hand Teddy picked up the phone.

"Teddy Altman." Her voice, despite the sleep and the trembling of her body, managed to sound firm and clear.

"Teddy! Oh my God, you finally answer the phone!"

Without introductions Teddy immediately knew who was calling, Owen, who, unlike her, sounded anxious and hurried.

"Owen! What's up? Why are you calling me? Especially at this time of the night. Do you know it's three in the morning here in Germany?" Although recently Teddy hadn't had a conversation for more than five minutes with someone else in recent days, her voice sounded quite convincing, though slightly overacted, she just hoped her tone convinced Owen that everything was fine.

"It's true! I'm sorry Teddy, really sorry, I forgot about it but for over a month I've tried to reach you without success, you have no idea how difficult it was to get your phone number, I called MEDCOM and they transferred my call to the Regional Medical Center, but there they couldn't give me much information about your whereabouts, they even told me that you still didn't join the position as chief, Teddy. It's everything alright? It's that true? You're still not working in Landstuhl?"

Owen's words were rushing, with an alarming tone in his voice, Teddy was extremely tired and couldn't make out what Owen was saying, but his last question made her feel an icy chill running from the nape of her neck to the tip of her toes. Her first thought was, _"Oh, Owen, if you only knew what's wrong with me"_ but she just answered with false positivism. "Oh, it's a long story that you probably will not want to hear, but anyway, you were the one who called. What do I owe this honor?"

After a few seconds, which in the silence of the cold night seemed like hours for Teddy, Owen finally answered. "I needed to talk to someone, not someone, actually, with you".

For a brief moment Teddy felt the rage growing in his chest, thinking _"Sure! First he sent me to the other side of the world and now he wants to talk to me"_ but as soon as the rage came worry replace it. What could be happening with Owen to move heaven and earth to track her down?"

"O-oh. What did you want to talk about?" This time her voice was soft, almost whispering.

Owen let out a deep sigh and replied, "The truth is something terrible happened in Seattle and I needed to talk to you, although I suppose you already knew what happened, everybody knows, it was all over the news".

 _"Oh no, no more bad news"_ Teddy thought. Is that hospital cursed or something? Although she didn't want to know anything more about anyone and much less bad news in the end the doubt was killing her. "Owen. Is everything alright? What happened? I haven't heard from anyone since I left America."

"What?! You didn't know?! It was all over the papers, the tv-news and the internet! It was a nightmare, the jet that took the team of surgeons to California to perform the surgery collapsed in the middle of the forest" Owen's last words were almost screams of anger. How could Teddy know nothing of what had happened?

Teddy's body froze "Wait… You mean the jet who took Cristina, Arizona and the rest of the crew? "

"That one, Teddy! And that's not the worst of all…" Owen took a few seconds to choose his next words, apparently Teddy didn't know about the accident and much less that Mark and Lexie had died and after how he had handled the news of Henry's death he wasn't sure if he wanted to repeat the experience at the end he hadn't other choice "Mark and Lexie ..." a pause, a second, then another.

"What happened to Mark and Lexie?" Teddy said almost shouting.

"Lexie died a few minutes after the crash and Mark a few weeks later".

Teddy went blank, she couldn't think, she couldn't speak, she felt and listened to her heart beating in her throat and her ears.

"Also, Arizona…" This time by hearing the name of her best friend and confidant Teddy was finally able to recover his voice. "What happened to Arizona? Please, tell me Owen!" her words were urgent as her cheeks were soaked with tears.

"Easy, easy, Arizona is alive but ... she lost a leg in the accident," Owen replied solemnly.

"It's not possible, it's not possible". Teddy repeated over and over again. "And Cristina, how are Cristina and the others?"

"Cristina, Meredith and Derek are a little better by now, they are still recovering, little by little".

Almost two months ago she had left Seattle Grace Mercy West without looking back and almost four months ago that Henry had died in that same place, leaving her alone, well, not entirely, for a brief moment in the midst of the commotion, Teddy allowed herself a moment to think about the baby growing in her womb and whom she hadn't thought about much since she learned of its existence. Slowly while with one hand she held the phone tightly, with the other she rubbed soft circles over the small bulge in her belly. Suddenly, the realization of what had happened hit her hard, she was meant to be on that jet, she was the cardiothoracic surgeon in charge of the case and not Cristina, after a few seconds Owen heard that Teddy was whispering something, but he could not quite understand what she was saying.

"Sorry Teddy, but I didn't hear you very well". Owen said.

"It must have been me, it was my fault, Cristina shouldn't have been there". Teddy said with no emotion in his voice.

"What?! Teddy, no! Stop it! It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's fault. Do you understand me? Things happen, accidents happen, for no reason I want you to blame yourself for what happened. Is that clear?" Owen's words this time were soft, as if talking to a little child. Owen wanted to say more but at that moment his pager began to ring. "I'm sorry Teddy but I have to go, an ambulance is about to arrive but please, promise me that we will stay in touch".

"Okay." That was all Teddy could say before the call was cut off. Once again silence and cold invaded her senses, falling on the couch and bringing her knees to her chest Teddy couldn't believe what she had just heard. Mark and Lexie were dead, Arizona without a leg… God, why?! And as much as she tried to record in her head Owen's reassuring words who assured her that none of this was her fault, a part of her couldn't help feeling guilty about what happened, especially to Cristina, who didn't have to be there, she was the one who should have died in the forest and not Lexie who had a life and a bright future ahead, it was her, Teddy, maybe this way she could be with Henry again; that was the last thought in her head before she succumbed to her usual restless sleep.

 ***Song: Mi Soledad Y Yo (My Loneliness and I) – Alejandro Sanz. (Spanish singer).**


	3. Chapter 3

**_*KINDLY REMINDER: E_** ** _nglish isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.*_**

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Chapter 3

 **Saturn**

 _You taught me the courage, of stars before you left, how light carries on endlessly, even after death… I'd give anything to hear, you say it one more time that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes._

Teddy woke up with a warm sensation all over her body, slowly opening her eyes to shut them again quickly; the sunlight was blinding her after nearly 12 hours of sleep. Although the temperature probably didn't exceed 40°F it was a beautiful sunny day, something extremely rare for that time of the year in Germany. For the first time in a long time, Teddy allowed herself to enjoy the moment, although it wasn't for much longer.

It had been 15 days since Owen's call and although she had promised him that she would stay in touch and that she would contact Arizona and find out about her situation, in all those days she had not answered a single mail or answered a single call. A part of her told her that it was better this way, enough drama had already occurred in her life to follow the drama of people who, for her, had been left behind, but another part feared that if she called Owen, he would return with those questions. " _It's everything alright? It's that true? You're still not working in_ _Landstuhl?"_

It had been more than a month since Teddy's only task was to go Tuesday and Thursday to psychological therapy with Dr. Wilson. Except for those days, Teddy was barely out of her house, not even to buy food. It all started when she showed up at the Regional Medical Center, immediately the managers noticed it, Dr. Theodora Altman wasn't yet ready to take over MEDCOM, or at least that's what they let know to the doctors who were already counting on the fact that she would be their new chief. In the end, she was simply offered two options, either she would resign the job and return to the United States or to any other place where someone offered her work, or they commissioned an interim director under the condition of attending psychological therapies and taking the reins of MEDCOM as soon as Dr. Wilson considered it pertinent.

After almost 10 tours in Iraq and countless of psychological and psychometric tests Teddy thought it would be a piece of cake to convince the psychiatrist that she was in perfect mental state. But in the end it wasn't like that, after more than a month of therapy Teddy still couldn't talk about what had happened in Seattle, which at times seemed laughable to her, to think that after the atrocities that she saw in the war in the end the pair of years that she spend in Seattle Grace Mercy West were her end, crumbling the foundations that throughout her life she had built and which even the war hadn't managed to fragment, but here she was, twice a week in the beautiful office of Dr. Wilson. Spacious, decorated with exquisite taste, grayscale and subtle touches of scarlet red, ceiling-to-floor windows overlooking the city, with a bookshelf all along the opposite wall and a faint smell of lavender, all elements created the perfect environment for a doctor-patient talk, yet Teddy could not get out of her heart and mind the right words to describe what her life had become.

Today, after a practically unproductive weekend in which Teddy barely left the comfort of her bed, it was Tuesday again, this meant therapy day. Reluctantly removing the warm quilt from her body it suddenly felt froze, and not because of the cold environment but because of the image that gave her the good morning like saying _"Hey, I'm here, do not forget it"._ During the night her nightgown had moved enough to end up at her waist, revealing her now evidently bulging belly, _16 weeks_ , Teddy thought, 16 weeks and no one knew of her condition, not even Dr. Wilson, 16 weeks without medical attention. _"What if something was wrong with the baby? The last thing Henry had left to her"_ immediately Teddy put the thought in the back of her mind, a part of her didn't want to think about the subject of her pregnancy, but the other part told her that she couldn't hide it for a long time, that people, or at least her psychiatrist and an obstetrician, needed to know about her condition, before her thoughts took her to a darker place, Teddy decided to get ready for the day ahead, without thinking of what awaited her.

Arranging her nightgown and with a soft brush with the tips of her fingers to her baby bump Teddy headed to the kitchen and took an apple when again the voice of her conscience came back. _"You'll just eat that? You should eat more; it's not just you anymore_." Teddy simply shook her head and quickly eat the apple and then headed to the bathroom and cleaned herself properly for the first time since her last date last Thursday.

Once neat and standing in front of her closet towel-wrapped she faced a new dilemma. What clothes should I use? Or rather. What clothes still fits me? In the days that she spent at home she was practically in her pajamas so the fact of thinking about casual clothes wasn't a problem and the days she had therapy with Dr. Wilson she simply covered her, until very recently, small baby bump under her coat, however it seems that in recent days her belly had grown considerably leaving her with very few or no choice of clothing, it had been a long time since she bought clothes and even with a coat over her the tension of the fabric in the belly area was evident. Luckily she found a pair of leggings and a blouse that although it wasn't loose enough she hoped that the black color of both garments concealed her already evident condition. Dressing quickly and brushing the knots of her hair a little, she took her coat and without bothering to try to button it she covered the space with a red scarf, she took her bag and went out into the street for the first time in almost a week.

The trip to the Medical Center was quite calm and without mishaps, nevertheless when she entered the hospital the insecurity began to take possession of her little by little, fearing that someone would notice her condition and start asking questions, pressing her bag tightly against her chest Teddy headed to the psych floor. She checked in with Dr. Wilson's assistant and waited along with the other patients, mostly veterans and luckily none of them known, today as every Tuesday and Thursday Teddy wasn't in the mood to start a conversation.

After about twenty minutes the assistant turned to her, "Dr. Altman, Dr. Wilson is ready to receive you", said the corpulent woman in that condescending and pitiful tone that Teddy repudiated so much yet the fact that someone addressed her as a Doctor and not the pathetic excuse of a woman she saw daily in the mirror made her feel warm in her heart. _"Damn mood swings, damn hormones"_ Teddy thought, but quickly, once again, she moved that thought to the back of her mind.

When she opened the door, the delicious scent of lavender invaded her senses completely, walking through the office and sitting on the couch next to the window Teddy was preparing herself for an unsuccessful session, one of many and surely one of plenty that would be to come, _"Come on, put some of your share"_ , her conscience told her but Teddy simply couldn't, there was something that stopped her, not even the baby growing her belly and that surely would soon begin to feel motivated her to get out of the maze in which her life had become.

"Dr. Altman, I'm glad to see you again, I see you're comfortable" Dr. Wilson said with a big smile as she headed to sit in front where Teddy was.

A sharp snort came out of Teddy's mouth, leaving her anger and discomfort to shine; it was as if, as she passed through the portal of that office, her attitude immediately changed, always on the defensive.

"Well, I already know the procedure, I very much doubt that you'll be offended if I don't go to your desk, shake your hand and kiss you on the cheek to say hello", Teddy said.

Dr. Wilson watched Teddy during her short speech, always impassive, not letting any emotion escape in her gestures, something that Teddy also hated, not being able to read her, she was used to read people, to anticipate their reactions, nevertheless with Dr. Wilson that was impossible.

"Well, I see you're in a good mood today, you said more in the last ten seconds than in the last ten sessions".

Although Teddy felt as if her blood burned and her heart rumbled in her ears in anger, she decided not to respond to what she saw as provocations. Meanwhile, Dr. Wilson, seeing that her patient was on the defensive, decided to change her strategy, but once again everything was in vain. An hour passed without Teddy saying more than monosyllables, at the end of the session the psychiatrist took Teddy's hands, looked directly into her eyes and said.

"I know that maybe you think I don't understand you, that I'm being paid to tell you what you want to hear, but it's not like that, it matters to me Teddy, I care about you and all my patients, after the atrocities that you and all of them have lived not only in the war but in your life, it is my duty to help all of you, as is yours; Teddy, you're an exceptional surgeon and person, but it seems you don't want to realize it and whatever it's that's clouding your way out of the state you're in is stronger than you, don't let that stop you, remember that you took an oath and out there are a lot of people waiting for a cardiothoracic surgeon who can save their lives, only she hasn't noticed yet. Believe me that if I could, I would take all your pain and send it… I do not know… to Saturn".

Before Teddy could respond, Dr. Wilson walked her to the door, "See you on Thursday Teddy", she said and closed the door.

Still analyzing Dr. Wilson's words, Teddy made her way to the hospital cafeteria, thoughtfully, staring at the floor without realizing that her hand unconsciously went to her belly drawing small circles, it wasn't until a nurse, who was also distracted, bumped into her causing both to fall to the floor. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Do you want me to call your doctor?" The nurse said in alarm as she got up hurriedly holding out her hand to help Teddy to her feet.

"How? My doctor? No, thank you very much, I'm fine". Teddy replied a little stunned as she stood up.

"I'm really sorry, I was a little distracted," the nurse replied.

"Really, I'm fine, I'm a doctor believe me I know if I'm okay or not," Teddy assured her.

"Okay, if you say so, I'm sorry again and by the way, congratulations," said the nurse, showing a warm smile and dimples in her cheeks. _"Congratulations?"_ Teddy thought, noticing her discomfort the nurse kept talking, "I mean the baby, you're pregnant, aren't you?" The nurse said, turning her gaze to Teddy's baby bump, she had no choice but to draw a tight smile on her face and answer, "Oh, this, Yes quite so... if you'll excuse me I'm in a hurry and it looks like you too," and before the nurse could say another word, Teddy walked quickly to the cafeteria.

 _"Damn it, where did I leave my scarf?"_ Teddy thought without being able to remember that during the whole session with Dr. Wilson her hands were playing nervously with her scarf until it was completely removed from her neck and that at the moment said scarf was on the floor, under the coffee table in the psychiatrist's office.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, Teddy just shook her head and went on her way, because that was what she did lately; put in the back of her mind all those issues that would cause her conflict and move on, or at least try, evidently she still didn't have much success.

Even though Teddy was starving she didn't feel like eating, yet she entered the cafeteria where hundreds of smells struck her nose making her feel the worst wave of nausea she had felt in the last few weeks, not wanting to draw more attention, she simply breathed deeply trying to calm her stomach and headed for the bar, ordered bowl of fruit with yogurt and granola and a big glass of grape juice, although she died for a coffee that part of her conscience that always had lucid thoughts made her retract; taking the tray with the food and paying in cash Teddy went to sit in the farthest table, by the window.

Not realizing that she had been looking at the window for more than 15 minutes and that her food was intact, a strange sensation took her from her trance; it was as if someone were watching her while saying _"Turn around, look at me!"_ And that's what she did, turning to her left, focusing her gaze to the entrance of the cafeteria there he was.

He didn't look much different, but in truth it hadn't been too long since they had seen each other and while she looked tired he looked the same or even more handsome, his hair perfectly combed, his expensive suit perfectly fitted to his broad back, and those blue eyes that once were Teddy's bane stared at her with amazement and joy, he was there.

Andrew Perkins.

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 ***Song: Saturn – Sleeping At Last**

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 **So, should I continue, should I stop?**

 **Let me know what to do with a review. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**_*KINDLY REMINDER: E_** ** _nglish isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.*_**

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Chapter 4

 **Another Door Closes**

 _So if another door closes_ _I hope you see the window opening_ _,_ _as people suffering all the time_ _don't waste your days life slips away like butter from a knife…_

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Teddy tried to avoid his gaze and pretend she hadn't seen him but it was too late, Andrew was heading towards where she was. How could she have forgotten that Andrew worked here in Landstuhl? Although honestly, between everything that had happened in the last months the last thing that worried her was Andrew's whereabouts.

Teddy still couldn't process the fact that Andrew was in the same place as her when suddenly his voice surprised her, he was already standing next to her. "Teddy, what a surprise to find you here! I thought you were in Seattle" Andrew said, even though his face showed the joy of seeing Teddy again, his voice was extremely professional. Honestly, Teddy wasn't expecting more, although Andrew was very understanding the day she chose Henry that didn't mean that things were all right between the two.

After a few seconds in shock Teddy finally found her voice and without standing up to greet him, she said. "Andrew, what a surprise!" And again the silence sowed between them, noticing the uncomfortable moment Andrew intervened.

"It's okay if I sit with you?

"Of course!" Said Teddy.

She didn't know what to do at that moment; she looked everywhere until Andrew spoke again.

"I see things went well between you and… What was his name?"

"Henry"

"Henry" Andrew repeated the name as if trying to find some hidden meaning in it.

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you… you know," Andrew said, pointing his head and hand to Teddy's belly peeking out of her open coat.

 _"Damn! It's so obvious? How many people will know today?"_ Teddy thought. And just as she was about to respond to him her voice failed again as a knot formed in her throat and tears that threatened to fall freely down her cheeks clouded her eyes.

"I'm sorry Teddy; I didn't mean to upset you. Is everything alright?" Andrew said, this time his voice was soft, like at the beginning of their brief relationship. _"No, nothing is alright"_ Teddy thought at the same time that she quickly wiped a tear that had managed to escape.

The worst of all was that although she could lie to her and shut up her feelings with Dr. Wilson, with him everything was different, she was always transparent with him, except for her feelings for Henry, Teddy couldn't hide anything from Andrew.

Like Pandora's Box, all of Teddy's repressed feelings and emotions surfaced in front of him and although she hated herself for showing weakness, this time she couldn't help it.

Andrew got up in a hurry when Teddy began to cry disconsolately, he took the chair next to her, wrapping her in his strong arms, with her head under his chin, pressing her against his chest and stroking her hair, he began to whisper in her ear. "Shh, shh, shh calm down, I don't know what has happened but I assure you that everything will be fine, calm, you know that I am here".

Although Teddy had chosen another man, Andrew still had a great affection for her, in the end he was the one whom from the beginning proposed a relationship without compromise, he left hoping that Teddy would still be waiting for him, but even though it seemed that she did, Teddy's heart belonged to someone else and Andrew couldn't blame her, even less after knowing about her issues with men and love.

After a while crying against Andrew's chest, Teddy raised her head and noticing his wet shirt she hurried to apologize. "Oh no, look what I did, I'm sorry Andrew, I'm really sorry, it wasn't my intention" Teddy said hurriedly and still trembling.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, these things happen is just a shirt; I have a clean one in my office, here the only person that matters is you. Is everything alright, Teddy? If you don't want to talk about it I understand perfectly, I will never force you and you know it, but I also want you to know that I'll be there if you need someone to vent".

With a long sigh and with a tiny smile, Teddy looked directly into Andrew's eyes. "I could never hide you many things. Isn't it? Andrew simply let out a small smile. "Nothing's alright, you have no idea what my life has become since you left Seattle," Teddy continued, turning to the window.

"Well, I'm the chief of my department, which means I can take a longer break, especially if it's to catch up with a dear friend" Andrew said as he took Teddy's chin gently, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Henry died." That was the only thing Teddy said and then looked down again.

"Oh Teddy, I'm really sorry. How long ago did that happen?"

"A little more than three months ago, at first I was convinced myself, or at least I thought, that everything was fine with me, I even went back to work the day after his death, but little by little things began to take a bad turn. The worst was when Owen fired me and the same day I realized I was pregnant, from there everything was downhill, everything continued to get worse and now I don't know how to move forward". Towards the end of her little speech Teddy was openly crying, but it felt so good to finally have someone to share her grief.

Just as Andrew was about to answer someone voice interrupted him.

"Andrew, I've been looking for you like crazy all over the place. What are you doing here? Have you seen the time? Did you forget the date we have with my parents?... Eugh, love! What happened to your shirt?" The voice that briefly revealed a soft French accent belonged to Anne-Claire Bourdeu, or rather Dr. Bourdeu, chief of orthopedic surgery. A beautiful woman, her white skin contrasted with her chocolate-colored hair, her huge blue eyes and red lips. From her came a delicious but faint vanilla scent.

Andrew was stunned to notice that Anne-Claire paid no attention to Teddy's presence. "Of course I didn't forget I was just catching up with an old friend" Teddy and Andrew got up to make the right introductions.

"Anne, she's Teddy, or rather Dr. Theodora Altman; Teddy, she's Anne-Claire Bourdeu". Said Andrew addressing both women. Feeling Teddy as a threat Anne-Clare added, at the moment that she reached out to take the hand in front of her, "Dr Bourdeu, head of orthopedic surgery." Although Teddy noticed the bitter tone in the voice of the beautiful woman she simply showed a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Bourdeu".

After a few seconds Anne-Claire spoke again. "You said your name is Theodora Altman?" This time with more cordial voice. "Quite so!" Teddy replied. Seconds later Anne-Claire's blue eyes opened like saucers as crimson blush appeared on her white cheeks. "Oh no. Are you Dr. Altman, former head of cardiothoracic surgery at Seattle Grace Mercy West y Seattle, new head of MEDCOM?"

Teddy also blushed and let out a nervous laugh, "Yes, the same Dr. Altman".

"Oh, God. I apologize if I sounded rude to you, but I've been looking for my fiancé everywhere. Look what you made me do, Andrew. I spoked pretty rude to my boss".

 _"Fiancé"_ Andrew was engaged to this beautiful woman. "Oh no, don't apologize, I'm still not your boss, Dr. McEntire is, until I'm ready to take the job."

"I see" said Anne-Claire. "I suppose you wanted to take a maternity leave and enjoy your pregnancy without the pressures of running MEDCOM," added the beautiful woman.

 _"Oh no, here we go again. How many more?"_ Teddy thought. Maybe it's time you stop hiding it, her conscience told her. "Something like that". The surgeon merely smiled weakly as she unconsciously rubbed her belly.

Noticing the awkward silence between the three of them Teddy decided it was the perfect time to leave before Andrew or Anne-Claire asked her more questions. "If you'll excuse me, it's time to go, I have a lot of things to do and it's past noon," Teddy said, looking at the watch on her wrist.

"Oh don't worry Dr. Altman; here my fiancé and I also have many things to do. Don't we, my love?" Anne answered, ending a quick kiss on Andrew's lips.

"Anne, remember that we agreed to be professionals while we are at our workplace, and what will think our future boss?" Andrew said hurriedly after noticing Teddy's obvious discomfort.

"Oh Andrew, don't apologize, it's always good to see people in love, anyway, I've to go, and congratulations on your engagement" replied Teddy while leaving the place without giving Andrew or Anne –Claire a chance to response.

Stepping away from the couple and heading for her car as fast as possible once again Teddy was interrupted just as she was about to walk through the door into the parking lot. "Teddy, wait!" Andrew yelled to attract her attention.

"Andrew, is something wrong?" Teddy replied.

"A while ago ... we didn't finish our conversation, I really care about your well-being and if there's anything I can do to help..."

"Andrew, Andrew, it's okay, I'm okay, I don't know if I can talk about it again, it was just a moment of weakness, you know, the hormone feast on my body." Teddy tried to sound mocking, failing terribly.

"Just promise me one thing Teddy, take care of yourself, and I'll reiterate if you want to talk to someone no matter what time you call me" "Andrew replied, handing her his business card that Teddy didn't hesitate to accept.

"Please and ... just take care of yourself." Although it was a request Andrew's _"please"_ sounded more like a beg.

"Okay, I promise you," Teddy said, this time with a sincere smile.

"Okay, so we're in touch."

"Yeah" Teddy watched Andrew's retreat figure back into the hospital and just as she turned to head for the parking lot a sharp pang in her head made everything around her spinning, clouding her view without giving her the chance to hold onto something or ask for help before everything in her head went dark.

* * *

 ***Song: Another Door Closes – Jont.**

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 **Let me know what you think with a review.**

 **Shoul I continue?**

 **Should I leave it like that?**


	5. Chapter 5

**_I'm sorry for the delay,_** ** _but I was going to update a new chapter yesterday and then I realized that it wasn't yet translated. Perhaps some of you feel this chapter as filling but it's only to set what's coming. Anyway, I'll leave you a little surprise at the end._**

 ** _Thanks to the people who took the time to leave a review you have no idea how much your reviews motivated me to continue writing, so this chapter is for you, also also thanks to people who take the time to just read._**

 ** _*KINDLY REMINDER: E_** ** _nglish isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.*_**

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Chapter 5

 **Million Years Ago**

 _I wish I could live a little more, look up to the sky, not just the floor, I feel like my life is flashing by and all I can do is watch and cry…_

* * *

 _Beep, Beep, Beep._ The sound of the heart monitor woke Teddy out of her peaceful sleep, based on the noise so familiar to her and analyzing her surroundings concluded that she was in the hospital, trying to propping on her elbows to get a clearer picture of where she was a wave of nausea hit her hard but this time she couldn't contain the bile and the scraps of food that came out of her mouth scattering across the bed and the floor, luckily a nurse came in that instant and hurried to bring her a plastic container in which Teddy continued to throw up mostly acid bile that burned her throat. Once the embarrassing moment was over, the nurse helped Teddy remove her hospital gown and sheets to change them for clean ones.

Still in shock for her roaring awakening Teddy didn't have time to apologize to the nurse when she was already out of the room leaving her simply with a little blanket to cover herself while she returned. Minutes later a cleaning lady came in to clean the floor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry," said Teddy, deeply distressed.

"Oh honey, don't worry I'm used to these things, it's perfectly normal." The chubby little lady answered her.

Before she could answer the nurse came in again with sheets and a clean gown, after helping her get dressed and redoing the bed the door of the room opened revealing the figure of Dr. Wilson accompanied by a man Teddy had never seen.

"Good evening Dr. Altman, or rather, good morning," Dr. Wilson said loudly, causing Teddy a slight shiver _, "It's over, that's all, surely she and the whole hospital already know about the baby,"_ thought Teddy, but instead of being surprised she simply said.

"What time is it?"

"It's 5:00 a.m. Dr. Altman, you've been unconscious for more than fifteen hours," the psychiatrist responded in a professional tone. "This one you see here is Dr. Reynolds, head of Obstetrics and Gynecology, he will be in charge of your and your baby's health, I'll leave you a moment to talk and have you checked up, I'll be right back Dr. Altman" and with that Dr. Wilson was out of the room leaving her alone with Dr. Reynolds and a nurse who seemed to be busy writing something in her file and checking the IV bag hanging by her bed.

"Ok, Dr. Altman, I'll start with a few simple questions ..."

"Teddy, please call me Teddy," she said, interrupting Dr. Reynolds.

"Ok, if you prefer," said the doctor with a soft tone and a smile. Despite appearing almost 50 years, Dr. Reynolds was a handsome, tall, African-American man with a facial expression radiating peace.

But not even the peace that radiated the doctor managed to clear the clouds of Teddy's head. "I'll start with basic questions. How old are you?"

"40"

"Do you smoke, drink, take some medicine?"

"No"

"How long ago would you say it was your last menstrual cycle?"

Teddy almost wanted to laugh, it seemed to have been centuries ago, almost another life. "I don't really remember, but by my calculations I think I'm 14 or 16 weeks along" Teddy replied, her head always looking at her hands in her lap.

"Did you do any pregnancy tests?"

"Yes, a blood test almost three months ago"

"Have you presented bleeding, unusual cramps or pains in the belly or lower back area?"

"No, I haven't"

"Okay, any history of diabetes, hypertension or cancer within your family or the father's?"

"No." _Yes,_ Teddy looked up at Dr. Reynolds directly into his eyes. "I mean, yes ... the father ... the father of my baby died a few months ago from complications with Von Hippel-Lindau's disease."

Stopping writing for a moment, the doctor turned to Teddy. "If you wish we can do a non-invasive Prenatal Genetic Test, that way you can be sure if your baby inherited the disease or not."

After a few minutes of silence Teddy simply said. "I'll think about it".

"Okay, I think for the moment with this information will suffice, nurse, please" he said to the nurse at the foot of her bed who immediately left the room without a word. "Could you please sit on the edge of the bed? It'll be a quick exam".

Removing the sheet from her legs Teddy did as she was asked, Dr. Reynolds took her blood pressure, checked her heart and lungs with his stethoscope, measured her temperature and recorded all the data in her chart. At the end of the examination the nurse who had left, returned with what appeared to be an ultrasound equipment, Teddy froze.

"Now come the fun part, lie down on the bed lift your gown and tuck it under your breasts, please," the doctor said in a kind tone.

Taking a deep breath, lifting her gown and covering her legs with the sheet Teddy revealed for the first time to someone else her bulging belly.

"You'll feel a little cold," said the Doctor and placed a generous amount of blue gel on Teddy's belly, then with the handle began to spread it all over the protuberance.

"Look what we have here!" Dr. Reynolds said excitedly and turned to Teddy with a big smile on his face.

Teddy didn't look at him, her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling. "Could you please turn the screen and turn off the volume?" Teddy said with trembling voice. _"What are you doing, Teddy? It's your baby, Henry's baby"_ her conscience screamed, but she simply closed her eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry Teddy, but I can't do that, I need to listen to your baby's heartbeat to detect any anomalies."

"Okay, then just turn the volume down, please."

With obvious discomfort Dr. Reynolds did as he was asked. "Have you felt any movement already?" He asked, this time his tone extremely professional.

"No, no yet"

"Yeah, he or she is quite, but surely at any moment you will feel it"

In an attempt to make the moment less uncomfortable the doctor asked. "Do you want to know your baby's sex?"

"No". The rest of the checkup went in quietly". Turning on the horn, Dr. Reynolds turned the volume down, yet Teddy could hear the rhythm of her baby's heartbeat _"150 heartbeats per minute"_ Teddy thought, making the count in her head as she looked at the second hand of the clock on the wall. She couldn't help but shed a small tear which she immediately cleansed.

"Your blood pressure is lower than I would like, but I suppose it's because of your anemia. Despite this I can't find any anomalies with your baby, the weight and size are within the range and according to this and the heart rate I can conclude that you're actually 16 weeks along. Everything seems to go well, ten fingers and ten toes. I'll leave whit the nurse a prescription for vitamins and folic acid, for my part it would be all Dr. Altman, if you'll excuse me." Dr. Reynolds said before leaving the room.

Once Teddy was alone in the room she couldn't help letting the tears roll freely down her cheeks. _"Forgive me, please forgive me"_ , she thought, though she wasn't sure if she was telling this to her baby, Henry or to herself.

Shortly afterwards Dr. Wilson entered Teddy's room, she was lying on her right side facing the window, although it was already dawn it was still a bit dark outside due to the thick black clouds that predicted a rainy day.

"Dr. Reynolds told me what happened, and I'm not referring to the apparent perfect health of your baby, but to the other thing." Dr. Wilson sat down at the foot of the bed, immediately Teddy knew what he meant.

"It's my choice, remember that you're here as my shrink, not as my mother" This time Teddy's voice made evident how upset he was. With whom? Maybe she didn't even know.

"You know what, Teddy? I give up! I give up on you" this time it wasn't the psychiatrist who spoke, but the woman. "I've tried to help you by all means that are within my reach but I simply give up, I can't continue to waste my time with a person who evidently doesn't want to be helped. What do you want, huh? Dying and taking with you the life of an innocent? "

"Dr. Wilson, that's enough!" Shouted Andrew Perkins, who had witnessed the speech the doctor had rant against Teddy. By the time the screaming ended Teddy was crying with her head hidden in the pillow while Dr. Wilson was standing next to her. She knew that her words had been completely out of place, but despite having worked for so many years with the human mind her sensitive part couldn't help but think of the amount of women she had dealt with throughout her career, many of them had lost or tried to conceive a child without success, she simply couldn't understand how this woman decided to throw everything away and not fight for her and her baby's life.

"Doctor, do me the favor of leaving the room immediately, we'll talk about the impropriety of your behavior", said Andrew firmly and without leaving room for complaints, the doctor left leaving them alone.

Moving closer to Teddy and sitting on the edge of the bed Andrew began to caress her hair, after a few minutes Teddy raised her head. "What are you doing with your life, Teddy?" Andrew asked with the same sweetness he would use with a helpless child.

"No please, not you too"

"Teddy, although I don't approve Dr. Wilson's attitude and abuse of trust in her words, I think I have every right to ask, if you don't want me to do it as a friend you will talk to me like your psychiatrist and you know that you will, with me you'll talk.".

"I do not know what's wrong with me." Teddy buried his face in his hands.

"Please Teddy, let us help you, let me help you, think about what Henry would say about this situation. Do you really want to lose the last part that you have left of him?" Before he could say more Andrew's cell phone rang. "I'm sorry, Teddy, but I've to go, I'll see you later." Andrew rose from the bed and kissed Teddy's forehead then left the room.

Two days later, Teddy was discharged not until the doctors recalled her how important her health care was and the possible consequences that could be caused to her and the baby if she didn't do something to treat her anemia, at the end Teddy simply took her stuff, the prescriptions of medicines prescribed by the doctors and an envelope that contained the images of her first ultrasound, without saying a word she left the hospital to go to the security of her house, where nobody I would tell her you what to do and what not to do.

* * *

 **Song:** **Million Years Ago – Adele.**

* * *

 **So,** **here's the surprise, I hope this makes you stay with me, a little sneak peek:**

 **-Arizona and Teddy.**

 **-Teddy's past (besides her time in the army)**

 **-Teddy's father**

 **-And...**

* * *

 **Let me know what you think, your comments motivate me. :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**In honor of Gray's Antomy premiere with a double episode here is a double update. So make sure to read Chapter 6 and 7.**

 **First of all I would like to know what do you think about what I write. I'm a person who loves details, I love to know what the characters do, what they think and what they feel, how is the environment in which they are, so I tend to write that in my stories which translates to longer chapters and therefore stories that are longer and sometimes not very fast, so I would like to know what you think about the details. Do you like them? I would like to know your opinion, after all this is the first time I publish something, so leave a review, that does not take long. ;)**

* * *

 _ ***KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve**_ _ **my grammar.***_

* * *

 _ **AND NEXT UPTDATE… ARIZONA!**_

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Chapter 6

 **Here Comes the Sun**

 _Little darling, I feel the ice is slowly melting. Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear..._

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It was Saturday and the day was strangely warm and sunny, Teddy came out of the comfort of her bed to prepare something for breakfast although in fact she didn't want anything at the moment, and not because of a lack of hunger, but because in the last days she ended throwing up everything that touched her stomach, not to mention that it had been quite unsettled for two or three days, even so Teddy prepared a turkey sandwich with a big glass of apple juice.

It had been a week since she left the hospital and Andrew's words were still spinning in her head _. "Do you really want to lose the last part that you have left of him?"_ Deciding that she needed to take care of something or her mind would make her even crazier. Teddy lay down on the couch, turned on the TV, and selected a movie on Netflix. Forrest Gump. As she watched the film intently, her hand gently stroked her every day bigger baby bump, it was already peeking beneath her tank-top now too small for her present condition, when it suddenly happened, Teddy felt something, pausing the movie when it happened again. A small tap on her lower belly. Teddy felt her whole body freeze. Her hand immediately went to the area, pressing a little when she felt it again, a small tap against her fingers.

Suddenly it was as if all the air in her lungs left her, realizing that the stomach churning she had felt in the last few days was her baby's small movements. And it happened again, a small foot or arm; she wasn't very sure, pressing against her belly when something she thought would never happen again happened, Teddy let out from the bottom of her lungs the loudest laughter that had come out of her in a long time.

At that moment it was as if feeling the life that grew inside her could once and for all banish away the darkness that clouded her thoughts, Teddy decided that even if it cost her all the emotional and physical strength that her body possessed, she would do everything to get ahead and even ask for help. She would improve not only for her, but for this baby who despite all adversity still clung to live.

Teddy spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon watching movies and reveling in the small movements of her baby, stroking her belly and smiling. With all the excitement she had experienced just that morning, Teddy didn't realize when she fell asleep on the couch, it was until she opened her eyes and saw a message on the screen. _"Are you still there?", "Of course I'm still here, Netflix"_ Teddy thought, glancing at her watch, it was already past 5:00 PM, her stomach immediately began to make hunger noises. "So we're hungry, huh?" Teddy said looking and caressing her baby bump. Suddenly she came up with an idea, putting on her shoes, taking her purse and a sweater she headed for the street in search of something to eat.

After parking her car she began to walk Landstuhl center streets full of people, after all it was Friday night. Local food, Asian food, Italian, Spanish, in fact Teddy was in the mood to eat everything, it was as if her body was retrieving all those months of neglect.

At the end she decided on a small and cozy Italian restaurant, taking a table by the window and after analyzing all her options Teddy ordered trenette pesto and although she died for a glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio she knew that it was better not to test her luck.

"You'll have to settle for mineral water," Teddy whispered as he stroked her belly getting a small tap in return _. "How could I let this happen for so long without enjoying it?"_ She thought, and once again she promised to enjoy each and every stage of her child's life.

After dinner Teddy decided to take a walk through the small city center, which she hadn't had time to explore except for the journey from her house to the clinic, admiring its streets, its architecture and breathing the icy air of the night caressing her cheeks. After walking for several minutes, Teddy began to feel extremely tired, despite being a very small city after the emotions of the day it was clear that her body asked for a break so she decided to go home.

Once Teddy was in her room and in the comfort of her warm bed the movements of her little baby who had apparently awakened from its nap kept her company, for the first time since Henry died she didn't feel alone coming to the conclusion that she would never be again, from now on this baby would be her eternal company.

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 **Song:** **Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles**


	7. Chapter 7

**In honor of Gray's Antomy premiere with a double episode here is a double update. So make sure to read Chapter 6 and 7.**

 **First of all I would like to know what you think about what I write. I'm a person who loves details, I love to know what the characters do, what they think and what they feel, how is the environment in which they are, so I tend to write that in my stories which translates to longer chapters and therefore stories that are longer and sometimes not very fast, so I would like to know what you think about the details. Do you like them? I would like to know your opinion, after all this is the first time I publish something, so leave a review, that does not take long. ;)**

* * *

 _ ***KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.***_

* * *

 _ **AND NEXT UPTDATE… ARIZONA!**_

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Chapter 7

 **Distant Dreamer**

 _Although you think I smile, inside an all the while I'm wondering about my destiny... I'm thinking about all the things I'd like to do in my life..._

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The week passed in the twinkling of an eye, Teddy was officially in the 18th week of pregnancy and in the last few days even though there were moments of melancholy coupled with her constant nausea, dizziness and fatigue, most were moments of optimism, it could certainly be said that it was a week of resolutions.

Since her visit to the city, Teddy resumed and included new habits in her daily routine, such as walking for at least an hour in the morning, despite the urge to go to the bathroom; cooking, cleaning the house, reading, obsessing with Mad Men, etc., Teddy was determined to reclaim her life and her position as Head of MEDCOM. Today was Monday and Teddy lay in bed thinking of the resolution she had made the night before. On Sunday night as she lying on the couch listening to music with her eyes closed and stroking her uncovered baby bump, something she hadn't grown tired of doing since she felt that first tap of her baby; Teddy decided it was time to resume her medical appointments with both Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Wilson.

Taking the cell phone from her purse Teddy dialed Dr. Wilson's number, feeling her heart pounding and looking for a little relief in her baby's vigorous movements. Teddy waited for the psychiatrist's response.

"Dr. Wilson" The doctor responded with her characteristic professional tone.

"Dr. Wilson! It's me, Teddy."

"Dr. Altman. Why the call?"

Letting out a deep sigh Teddy continued. "I know that more than two weeks have passed since my last session and I don't know, a lot has happened since I left the hospital, I would like to know if it would be possible to resume the sessions as soon as possible". She responded in a rush, something she usually did when she was nervous.

After a short pause, Dr. Wilson answered.

"I am glad that you have decided to resume our sessions, I have a space available tomorrow at 10:00 a.m."

"Yes, tomorrow, 10:00 a.m. is perfect!"

"Okay, see you tomorrow Dr. Altman. Have a nice rest".

"Likewise Dr. Wilson, have a nice rest, until tomorrow." At the end of the call Teddy couldn't help the huge smile on her face, _tomorrow_ , tomorrow would be the first step on her way to becoming not only the person she used to be, but the person her son or daughter deserved as a mother.

Noticing that her little trance remembering last night's conversation took her more than expected Teddy hurriedly dressed for her appointment with Dr. Wilson, dressing in a loose-fitting long-sleeved dress that fell right in the middle of her thighs and outlined perfectly the curve of her belly, luckily she had found it in her closet while she cleaned it up a few days ago, complementing it whit tights and ankle-length boots all in black. The touch of color was given by her beige trench coat, Teddy was glad to realize that her favorite raincoat still fitted her despite her protruding belly. For the first time in a long time Teddy felt compelled to put on make-up, cat-eye and red lips made a big difference. Taking her purse, sunglasses, keys, and her cell phone, Teddy headed for her appointment at the Regional Medical Center.

Even as she felt her nerves slowly begin to take hold of her, a tap on her belly reminded her why she was here, raising her head she stepped toward her destination.

"Good morning." Teddy addressed the assistant, Katy, with kindness.

"Good morning. Do you have an appointment with Dr. Wilson?" Katy asked.

"Yes, at 10:00 a.m., I'm Dr. Altman."

"Oh, of course, Dr. Altman, I did not recognize you, you look pretty good! The pregnancy suits you wonderfully. But please, sit down. I will let you know when Dr. Wilson is ready to receive you". Katy got up from her chair and led Teddy into the waiting area, something that normally or rather had never done before. "May I offer you something to drink, water, juice, tea?" The assistant said with genuine pleasure in her voice and her acting.

"A glass of water would be perfect" replied Teddy not wanting to offend Katy by rejecting his offer.

"Okay, I'll bring it to you right away," the assistant said before retreating.

The minutes passed and the nervousness grew, not even the soft movements of her baby that had't stopped since she arrived at the hospital managed to calm her. _"What would she say to Dr. Wilson?"_ She thought over and over until Katy, the secretary, called her, it was time.

"Dr. Altman, Dr. Wilson is ready to receive you". Katy said.

Teddy got up and though she looked confident in her walk, inside she was shaking. As she entered, Dr. Wilson sat in the usual chair, standing up immediately when Teddy closed the door.

"Dr. Altman, please go ahead and get comfortable"

Without a word, Teddy went to her usual seat, only this time she didn't turn to look at the window, her body and face were facing Dr. Wilson. "I'm sorry to have asked for an appointment with so little anticipation but I really needed this." Teddy said and this time the psychiatrist noticed that her tone was no longer on the defensive, on the contrary, it sounded serene, almost regretful. "I hope it didn't involve much of a problem for you", Teddy concluded.

"Not at all, Dr. Altman, and plea..."

"Teddy, please call me Teddy."

"It didn't involve any problem Teddy, I had the hour off. And please don't apologize, if there's someone who has to apologize that's me, my behavior the last time we met was less than professional."

"It's okay; really, I must say that your words, though hurtful, made me see things with a little more clarity".

"I guess that's why you're here, isn't it?"

"That's right, as I told you last night on the phone, a lot has happened in the last two weeks".

"I see that, you look pretty good Teddy, your appearance, your attitude and your face look really changed".

"I'm glad you noticed, I'm really trying to get ahead, I want to be the person I used to be, I want to go back to work, I want my daughter or my son to be proud of me."

"I know Teddy, I know and apparently you've finally accepted your pregnancy."

Teddy couldn't help but smile this time. "Yeah, actually leaving here I'll go with Dr. Reynolds to schedule an appointment".

The rest of the session passed with unusual ease, the words flowed and Teddy no longer felt Dr. Wilson's comments as personal attacks, everything would be fine. After scheduling her appointment with the obstetrician Teddy pulled the phone out of her purse.

 _"You are calling Dr. Perkins' phone, I can't answer at this moment, please leave your message and I will try to return the call soon."_ Feeling a little disappointed that Andrew wasn't available Teddy decided to leave a voice message.

"Hey Andrew, it's me Teddy! Emmm ... How have you been? Apparently I called in a bad moment; umm ... I haven't heard from you in two weeks, many things have happened ... emmm… call me, if you can, I've a lot to tell you, bye ".

Cutting off the call and heading for the parking lot, Teddy remembered that the only garment she still had, or that at least still fitted her was the dress she wore. "What do you say we go shopping?" Teddy said speaking softly to her belly.

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 **Song:** **Distant Dreamer – Duffy.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm still in sock for last night's premiere. It was so good to see Teddy again and her reunion with Arizona, I screamed so loud. I hope that my girl Teddy stays for a long time and with a good storyline,** **although I honestly doubt it :(**

 **AND HERE SHE IS, FINALLY ARIZONA!**

* * *

 ** _*KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.*_**

* * *

Chapter 8

 **Hello**

 _Hello from the other side, I must have called a thousand times to tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've done..._

* * *

After wandering around the small center of Landstuhl Teddy realized the few options she had to buy the things she needed so she decided to get off the freeway and take the short route that would take her to Kaiserslautern, although it was a small town too at least she expected to find a few more options.

After asking for directions and wandering around the city, she finally found the "K in Lautern" shopping center, although it was far from the malls in Seattle, had enough options. After wandering from store to store, buying blouses, jeans, shoes, underwear. Who would say that her breasts would grow in such a short time? etc., etc., etc. By 4 pm Teddy had her hands full of bags with different items.

Deciding it was time to eat and remembering how many people recommended her visiting _"Restaurant 21"_ in the City Hall building, Teddy packed the bags in the trunk of the car and headed to the place. Arriving, the hostess took her to a table on the terrace that was on the roof of the building and had a beautiful view, on one side the forest and on the other the city _"_ _Henry would have loved this place"_ thought Teddy, suddenly the ringing of her cell phone saved her from getting lost in her thoughts and returned her to reality.

Without looking who called Teddy answered. "Teddy Altman".

"Teddy, it's me, Andrew! I heard your message, I'm sorry I couldn't answer I was with a patient."

"On the contrary, forgive me; I should've assumed that you were busy".

"Well, my cell phone was off but if it hadn't been I would've answered, for you I'm never too busy, but tell me, what do you want to talk about?"

Hearing this make Teddy smile timidly. "Oh, nothing in particular, we just have so much without seeing each other".

"Well, in your message you said that many things had happened, I hope they are good things, although by your voice tone I suppose that they are".

"Yes!"

"If you like we can see each other in a while and go to eat, I'm about to leave the hospital."

"I'm afraid it will have to be another day, I'm not in Landstuhl, I'm in Kaiserslautern."

"What do you do over there?" Andrew said in surprise.

"Well, I needed some new clothes. Can you believe that nothing of my old clothes fits me anymore? God! I'm only 18 weeks along, I don't want to imagine how I'll be at 30 weeks, I'm sure I'll look like a manatee".

Andrew let out a loud laugh. "You'll look beautiful anyway." _"Oh no, what did I just say?"_ Andrew thought, luckily Teddy hadn't registered his words or simply decided to ignore them.

"Hey, it's not funny; I will not even be able to tie my shoes soon! I'm really worried; I've seen women at eight months with less belly than I have."

Andrew laughed again. "Teddy, you're a doctor, you more than anyone should know that every pregnancy and every woman is different."

"I know." Just at that moment the waiter arrived with her order. "Well, I have to leave you, my delicious T-Bone just arrived "Teddy said with a mocking tone in her voice.

"Hey, that's not funny! I still don't know what I'll eat," Andrew replied, pretending to be offended.

"Bye Andrew!" Teddy laughed and then cut off the call.

After a while Teddy was enjoying the peaceful landscape and her delicious dessert, chocolate cake, when she didn't know why she thought of Arizona, she had promised Owen that she would call her to find out how she was after the accident so without thinking she took her cell phone and hoping it was still the same number, dialed. A bell, two, three, four, five; just as Teddy was about to give up a voice obviously hastily answered.

"Arizona Robbins!"

"Hi, Arizona?"

"Sorry, but who's talking?" Apparently Arizona didn't recognize Teddy's voice.

"It's me, Arizona. Teddy".

After a long pause Arizona finally answered again.

"Oh my God. Teddy, what a surprise! Callie and I were talking about you this morning, how have you been?" Teddy expected to meet an angry Arizona but was glad to hear that it wasn't the case, however she didn't know how to approach the subject of the accident with her without touching some sensitive fiber.

"I'm fine, you don't know how many things I have to tell you, but tell me, how are you?" Teddy's voice began to shake but still went on. "I spoke to Owen a few weeks ago and he told me about the accident. Arizona, I'm so sorry, as your friend should've been there to support you".

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, it's all better now. I must admit that at first it was difficult not only for me but for everyone, but little by little things have been improving, Callie has been by my side all the time and although I'll not lie saying that I didn't need you I understand why you had to leave".

"Really?"

"Of course, Teddy! Besides ... I listened, unintentionally! A conversation between Owen and Cristina ... I heard that he had spoken to you and that you were feeling guilty about what happened. Teddy, please don't do it!"

"It's pretty difficult not to do it after I practically got Cristina on that plane".

"Teddy, what happened, happened and maybe it was Cristina's fate to be in that place at the time, but hey! Let's not talk about sad things anymore, tell me, how are you doing on the other side of the world? You know? Callie and I've been planning to travel around Europe next year".

"Really?! It would be great, just in time for you to meet my baby." Teddy said excitedly to hear Arizona's reaction which didn't disappoint her.

"WHAT?! YOUR WHAT?! MY GOD, TEDDY! Don't tell me that you are... YOU ARE PREGNANT!"

"YES! I'm almost five months along and already the size of a house", Teddy said with great joy.

"Wait. Five months? Does that mean ...?"

"Yes Arizona that means Henry is the father of my baby."

"Oh Teddy, I don't know what to say... I mean, I'm glad for you I know how much you loved Henry and I want to think you're happy but at the same time..."

"Yes, I know what you mean. It was difficult, until recently I still couldn't accept the idea that it was happening, but I've already assimilated it and I am enjoying it, really".

"You have no idea how happy make me hear that, Teddy. Finally Sophia will have a cousin. Hey! And you know what it'll be or like Callie you want it to be a surprise?"

"Actually I wanted to wait until it was born but after going shopping this morning I can't wait to know what it is, Arizona; there are so many things for both boy and girl!"

"It was just what I said to Callie but I can't persuade her. Oh Teddy, you don't know how excited I am! I want to see Callie's face when I tell her the good news. Does anyone else know about this? I don't want to be inopportune and spread the news throughout the hospital without your approval".

"No, no one knows. You're the first person to know, at least in Seattle, so I'd ask you for some discretion; at least I'd like to tell Owen, you and he are the only people I wanted to personally tell the news".

"Of course Teddy, I will not say anything to anyone until you talk to Owen."

"Thank you"

"Teddy, taking advantage of your call and changing a little the subject, I would like to ask you for a favor".

"Of course! It's the least I can do; tell me, what can I do for you?"

"You see, those of us who were involved in the accident have thought about suing the hospital"

"Suing?! But why?"

"Long story, but the point is that Meredith and Derek offered to travel to New York to see an attorney who is apparently extremely good, his law firm is one of the oldest in the United States and their percentage of victories is impressive ".

"I don't understand where you're going Arizona. How can I help you with the lawsuit? Does Cristina want to sue me too?" Teddy said with obvious panic in her voice.

"No, no, no Teddy, none of that. Let me finish and you'll understand. The point is that at first he seemed quite interested in the case, but after seeing Meredith and Derek he simply decided to leave it. We would like him to take up the case again, Teddy; his record of victories is impressive and we believe you can convince him".

"Me?! How could I convince him? I wasn't even in the accident." Before she could continue talking, Arizona interrupted her.

"According to Owen the attorney is your father, Teddy"

Teddy felt as if all the air had left her lungs and her blood had frozen. Teddy hadn't heard about her father in years, practically since she joined the army.

"M… my father? Did Owen tell you that? Did he say something else?" Teddy responded when she finally recovered from the shock.

"Nothing else, in fact he advised us to look for another attorney, but the others believe that if you talk to him…"

"NO! I'm sorry Arizona I didn't want to talk to you that way but it's just that… it's been years since I don't know anything about my father, much less talk to him".

"Oh Teddy, I'm sorry, I didn't know that talking about your father was a sensitive issue for you, so that's why Owen was pretty energetic in trying to convince us to look for someone else".

"It's ok Arizona, except for Owen no one knows about the difficult relationship I have with my father"

Just as Arizona was about to answer her pager interrupted her. "I'm so sorry Teddy, but I have to hang up".

"Oh don't worry, go save the tiny humans, I'll call you soon, I promise".

"Likewise, and I'll let you know about the trip to Europe to plan something"

"Please!"

"Okay, bye Teddy, it was great to hear from you and congratulations, new mom".

"Thank you, honey! And I've to say the same; it was great to hear from you, I'll talk to you soon".

And with that the call was disconnected leaving Teddy thinking about her father. Teddy didn't know anything about Nicholas Altman since almost ten years ago; maybe it was time to make amends.

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 **Song: Hello - Adele**


	9. Chapter 91

**So... I can't accept the idea that Shonda** **and the writers** **have given all the characters a backstory except to Teddy, the only thing we know about her is that she was in Baghdad and that her friend died on 9/11, no siblings, no parents, etc. so I decided to give her a backstory, I really hope you like it.**

 **I also had to split this chapter, when I finished writing I realized that it had almost 3000 words D: so the second part will be updated tomorrow (I'm still translating it).**

 **As well this isn't the last of Arizona, there is more to come ;)**

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 ** _*KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.*_**

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Chapter 9.1

 **Hurt**

 _Thank you for all you've done_ _,_ _forgive all your mistakes_ _,_ _there's nothing I wouldn't do_ _t_ _o hear your voice again_ _s_ _ometimes I wanna call you_ _b_ _ut I know you won't be there…_

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On the way home Teddy couldn't stop thinking about her father, which later led her to think about her mother and generally to think about how her life had changed not only in the last months but since her childhood.

Although she always showed herself to others as a simple and humble person, Teddy had been born, as the saying goes, with a silver spoon in her mouth; her family was among the most powerful and influential in the United States, especially on the east coast.

Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Teddy was raised in a huge Georgian house by the sea, huge playgrounds, indoor and outdoor pool, own room, the best clothes, the best toys and the best nannies brought from Switzerland, France or Germany especially to take care of her.

Christmas in Madrid, Paris or Rome; New Year in London, Buenos Aires or Vancouver; summer in Ibiza, Havana or Cancun; there was no place in the world that the Altmans hadn't visited. However, Teddy would gladly have given up everything to spend more than two days in a row with her parents.

Teddy was her father's worship, from the moment she was born Nicholas fell down at his feet. Her father worked all week at the helm of the family law firm in Manhattan and only saw his _"Teddy Bear"_ , as he affectionately called her, the weekends and that couple of days were devoted entirely to Teddy, he always came on Friday night with a surprise for her and from that moment he didn't receive any more calls or attend work meetings, just him and his girl.

With her mother everything was different, although they spent all day and every day in the same house, except for the weekends when her husband came to see them, Angela Altman rarely left her room and when she did it was only for a couple of hours, hours that Teddy made the most of it, although later she suffered when her mother returned to lock herself in her room.

Living with her mother was a challenge she was like two people in one body, during the week the depression took hold of her and on weekends she came out of her room attired in ridiculously expensive designer dresses and adorned with the most expensive jewels, she was the ideal wife and the perfect mother, but as soon as Monday came everything disappeared and so went the vicious circle for years, until her death.

Angela Altman's problems began shortly after Teddy's birth, _postpartum depression_ , the doctors said, _hopefully it will not last more than a year_ , they added. Ten years passed without any improvement in her mental health and although at social events it seemed that everything was okay with her, in the privacy of her home everything was different, despite all his efforts to help his wife a few years later Nicholas Altman gave up on her and limited himself to coexist with his wife two days a week simply for Teddy's sake until the day that Angela's body was so deteriorated that one November rainy morning simply succumbed to eternal sleep.

Remembering this made Teddy feel a chill run through her body. _"To think that I probably could have had the same fate as my mother"._ Teddy thought.

When she got home, Teddy tossed the shopping bags to the floor, removing her raincoat and shoes, lying on the couch, caressing her belly feeling the little movements of her baby that kept her company, thinking… _"Should I call him? No, I shouldn't. Or maybe I should? Maybe it would be good to hear about my father again. Or maybe not? Maybe I should wait and talk to Dr. Wilson"._ Teddy's head was spinning with endless questions that she didn't realize at what point her hand had reached the phone and dialed her father's number, a number that could pass a thousand years but would always be engraved in her mind.

"Nicholas Altman." Teddy froze, almost ten years without hearing his voice it sounded tired, the weight of the years was evident.

"D-dad ... it's me ... Teddy." She said cautiously, waiting for an answer for what seemed like years but it simply never came, after waiting a few seconds for her father's reaction the call was disconnected, he had hung up the phone.

Teddy burst into tears, she couldn't believe it. _"So much was the grudge his father had?"_ She thought _. "Just for not following the life he had planned for her"._

After her mother's death Teddy and Nicholas left Connecticut to settle in a luxurious pent-house in the Upper East Side of New York. Although at first it was difficult soon they both settled into an harmonious routine, every day without exception Nicholas took Teddy to school and sometimes, when the work wasn't so much, he would arrive when the classes ended and go to eat together.

Things started to get worse before Teddy graduated from high school, she was sure she wanted to go to medical school, however her father, as her only daughter, intended that in the future when Teddy left law school in Harvard, where Nicholas already had a place reserved for her, took the reins of the law firm _"Altman & Associates"_, one of the oldest in the United States and the most important in New York for almost 10 generations and perhaps later marry her with some banker or businessman of Wall Street.

As Teddy firmly refused to go to law school, Nicholas withdrew any support, both moral and economic, this didn't discourage Teddy to pursue her dream and immediately began sending applications for scholarships at various universities and although her father had closed the doors of the most prestigious like Princeton, Yale, Stanford, etc. that didn't stop the University of Texas Southwestern from offering her a full scholarship for her medical studies.

So after the most uncomfortable summer of her life Teddy took her bags left the Upper East Side of New York and settled in a tiny apartment in Dallas. During all the time that her studies lasted the relationship with her father was quite tense, she could spend months without receiving a call from him and vice versa. It wasn't until her graduation that Teddy was surprised to see Nicholas in the front row with a bouquet of flowers watching his _"Teddy Bear"_ give her speech as _"Summa Cum Laude."_

With tears in his eyes Nicholas begged for his daughter's forgiveness, Teddy simply embraced her father with all her might. Everything would be fine. Her internship and residency at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at George Washington University went smoothly as well as her fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. After so much time away from home Teddy decided that it was time to return to New York accepting the position as an attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

Everything was perfect; the relationship with her father was as before and she had the best friends in the world, Owen and Helen. But everything changed when she received the call that Helen was reported dead in the second tower during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After much analysis and encouragement from Owen, Teddy informed her father that she was joining the army, she was going to Baghdad.

Everything collapsed again; Teddy could still hear her father's words on the day of her departure. _"If you cross that door you forget me forever"._ Teddy simply returned a weak smile accompanied by a _"Sorry, my country needs me"_ and since that day never heard from him until today.

Though the crying had already stopped, tears were still streaming down Teddy's cheeks, soon the phone rang and without looking at the caller ID, assuming it was Owen or Arizona, Teddy answered…

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 **Song: Hurt – Christina Aguilera**

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 **Let me know what you think.**

 **Good?**

 **Bad?**

 **Regular?**

 **Should I keep updating?**

 **Shouldn't I?**

 **Write a comment, that keeps me motivated :) and thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 92

**So... here is the second part, I hope you like it and don't forget to comment what you think :)**

 ** _*KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.*_**

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Chapter 9.2

 **Hurt**

 _"Thank you for all you've done_ _,_ _forgive all your mistakes_ _,_ _there's nothing I wouldn't do_ _t_ _o hear your voice again_ _s_ _ometimes I wanna call you_ _b_ _ut I know you won't be there…"_

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 _Though the crying had already stopped, tears were still streaming down Teddy's cheeks, soon the phone rang and without looking at the caller ID, assuming it was Owen or Arizona, Teddy answered…_

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"Yeah?"

"Teddy? Is that you?" Once again Teddy couldn't believe what she was hearing; her father had returned the call.

"Dad?" Teddy answered crying.

"My girl, I can't believe it's you, sorry for what happened a moment ago". Nicholas was also crying. What Teddy didn't know was that her father had suffered a crisis with his blood pressure hearing his girl's voice after so long, once recovered he decided to return the call.

"It's okay dad, I understand, it must have been shocking to hear my voice again".

"You have no idea, my girl". After a pause Nicholas spoke again. "Well, tell me, how have you been? Are you in America or are you still in Baghdad?"

"No, I have long since left Baghdad and returned to the United States, to Seattle in fact; I worked there for a couple of years".

"You worked there? Does that mean you're not there anymore?"

"That's right; I'm currently in Germany at Landstuhl".

"Landstuhl? What are you doing there?"

"Well, a few months ago I was offered the position as head of MEDCOM, in the end joining the army wasn't so bad".

Teddy was amazed at how easy the conversation with her father was, as in the old days.

"Indeed!" Nicholas said with a soft laugh. "So… MEDCOM, huh? Sounds pretty important".

"Yes, it is. Although I haven't really started my functions yet, I'm still setting up". Teddy didn't want to tell her father about her depression and less on the first call after almost ten years without talking.

"I'm sure you'll do a great job, Teddy Bear."

Teddy's face brightened, she couldn't stop the crying coming back, she hadn't heard that nickname in years.

"Teddy Bear… I haven't heard that nickname for so long".

"Well, that's because you're my Teddy Bear, only I can tell you like that". Nicholas said proudly.

"Daddy?" Despite being a 40-year-old, Teddy couldn't avoid the diminutive.

"Tell me, love".

"I have something very important to tell you". It was time Teddy would tell her father that he would soon be a grandfather. Her heart was beating hard and the baby feeling her nervousness began to move vigorously as she tried to calm it by rubbing small circles over her belly.

"Teddy, you're worrying me. Is everything alright over there?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah it's nothing bad, quite the opposite indeed." Teddy took a deep breath. "So, it turns out you'll be grandfather in about four months". She said hastily, Nicholas couldn't register her words.

"What? Teddy Bear, speak more slowly I didn't understand you a single word".

"I said that you can start to boast with all your friends that you will be grandfather".

Nicholas was speechless.

"Dad, are you still there?"

"YES, YES, I'M HERE!" His voice was completely broken, but with joy. "Oh my God, Teddy!"

"Are you happy?" Teddy asked timidly.

"HAPPY?! Teddy Bear, I feel like my heart will burst in my chest whit joy". Nicholas heard Teddy break into tears again. "Hey, my girl is good news, isn't it?"

"Yes dad, they are, it's just that ... I feel so lonely and I need you so much." Teddy said crying.

"Hey, my love, you're not alone, you have your baby and your husband".

Teddy was silent

"Teddy? I guess your child's father is there to support you, isn't he?"

"No ... he ... he died a few months ago"

"Oh Teddy, I'm so sorry, I fully understand how you feel." Nicholas said softly.

"Yes, I know"

"Teddy Bear?"

"Tell me, dad"

"I think I have to hang up, I have a very important flight to take and I really don't want to lose it"

Teddy was disappointed; she wanted to continue talking with her father as much as possible. "Oh, I see, I will not keep you any longer".

"Yes, you see, while we were talking, my assistant booked me a plane ticket to go see my daughter in Germany. Do you think she'll like the surprise?"

"REALLY?!"

"Really".

"Dad, you have no idea how happy makes me to hear that".

"It better be because in three hours my flight leaves for Frankfurt, so in a little more than ten hours you will have me there".

"Dad, I ..." Teddy couldn't stop crying.

"Ssssh, my girl, everything will be fine you will see it and now I must hang up, I have a flight to take".

"Bye, Dad. I'll see you in a few hours".

"I'll see you in a few hours, Teddy".

After the call with her father Teddy took a quick shower and something to eat, without looking at the clock she knew it was quite late, she was completely exhausted, so with a smile on her lips decided to go to sleep, tomorrow would be a day even more exciting, she would see her father after so many years, the mere thought filled her with both joy and fear but still she was sure that things would be fine, things were definitely falling into place.

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 **Song: Hurt – Christina Aguilera.**

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 **So? What do you think?**


	11. Chapter 10

_***KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.***_

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Cahapter 10

 **What the Water Gave Me**

 _And oh, poor Atlas the world's a beast of a burden, you've been holding on a long time..._

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The next morning Teddy got up unusually early, although in reality despite being exhausted she couldn't sleep much all night, between the nerves of seeing her father again, the nausea and the constants trips to the bathroom to throw up it was 5:30 a.m. when she realized that it was impossible to try to sleep so she got up, started to clean the house a little and prepare the guest room where her father would sleep.

After finished cleaning she realized that the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon so she decided to go on her usual morning walk. As she walked the streets of Landstuhl, still alone, she couldn't help thinking how she would react the moment she saw her father again. At first it was hard enough to accept the idea that her father had turned his back on her, again, all because he couldn't accept the fact that she felt she had an obligation to her country.

Arriving in Baghdad, everything was a chaos, hundreds of wounded and even more dead; the hot of the place and the stress of the work made Teddy forget the estrangement with her father, however everything worsened at holiday time, when the army gave them permission for a few days to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year in home, in America. The first year was the worst, Teddy still didn't know many people and although Owen knew of the fight with her father he had no idea of the magnitude. In the end Teddy decided to go to Rome, her mother's favorite city. Alone, she walked the streets remembering old days, when everything was easier, at least for her.

Teddy thought the second year would be easier, but it wasn't so, this time her permission was at Christmas, Teddy loved Christmas, by that time Owen already knew about the problems with her father so he decided to invite her to his house, bad idea; even though Teddy had a good relationship with Owen's mother and her sister, Megan, this time she didn't count on having one more guest to the celebration, Beth, Owen's girlfriend. Teddy was shattered, for a long time she waited for Owen to take the first step, yet it was obvious that he had no interest in her, at least a loving interest.

Returning to Bagdad Teddy decided to focus on her work, helping wounded men, saving lives and so gradually stopped thinking about her father, burying him in the farthest corner of her mind, next to the memory of her mother.

After a while, Teddy realized that she had been wandering the streets of Landstuhl for more than an hour, luckily her father had left her a message letting her know that his flight to Frankfurt had been delayed four hours during his stopover in London so Teddy didn't expect him to arrive at least until much later.

Arriving home she decided to take a long bath, letting the hot water fall on her head, her shoulders and her belly, trying to calm her nerves a little but Teddy knew that what she was trying to calm was the guilt, she wanted for the water take off the burden she had on herself, she felt guilty for not having tried to call her father before. For a long time Teddy sat in the tub, her head on the edge, her eyes closed, caressing her baby bump, thinking of all the opportunities she had to amend her relationship with her father, but she let them pass each and every one.

Suddenly she felt her baby's little taps as her stomach made hunger noises. Leaving the bathroom and dressing in comfortable clothes she went to the kitchen when someone knocked at the door.

Startled since nobody knew her address Teddy went to open the door with caution. Opening it, Andrew was on the other side, in one hand he carried a paper bag and a small cardboard tray with two red glasses and in the other a bouquet of sunflowers tied with a red ribbon.

"Chocolate croissants and sunflowers, your favorites, because they are still your favorites, isn't it? And I'm afraid the glasses are not coffee, cinnamon tea." Andrew said with a huge smile on his face.

Teddy was puzzled.

"Andrew. What are you doing here? How did you know where I liv...?"

"How did I know where you live? A magician never reveals his secrets". This time Teddy could not help but smile. "Are you going to invite me in or do you want us to eat this on the sidewalk?"

"Of course, go ahead. If you like you can put the food in the kitchen bar, I was just about to prepare breakfast, I'm starving".

"Good thing I came to the rescue".

"Although to tell the truth I don't think that with a croissant and a tea this little one and I will be satisfied". Teddy said ashamed.

"Don't worry, we can go out for breakfast if you want, or I can prepare something ... By the way, where do I put this?" Andrew said raising the bouquet of sunflowers.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted lately. Give me here. Thank you, they're beautiful, I can't believe you still remember my favorite flowers". Teddy took the flowers with a smile and went into the kitchen for a vase.

"Wow, I see you didn't exaggerate." Andrew said in astonishment.

"About what?"

"Your belly, it really doesn't look like you are 18 weeks along, if I didn't know I would think you are at least 23 or 25 weeks along".

Teddy stared at him, she suddenly felt a roller coaster of emotions as her eyes filled with tears but she couldn't understand why Andrew's words caused in her that reaction.

"You mean I'm fat? Because if that's what you mean, you can say that! I know I look like a wale!" Teddy couldn't stop crying.

"Uooo, uooo, uooo wait, I didn't mean that ... I mean you said it yourself ..."

"I remember what I said, Andrew, but if you came to my house just to remind me, you can go".

"Teddy, I didn't mean to offend you." Although Andrew was used to witnessing drastic mood swings and knew how to handle them, seeing Teddy in that state was strange and he didn't know how to respond without make things worse. After a few seconds when neither of them said a word Andrew decided to turn around and just as he was about to reach the door Teddy spoke again.

"Andrew, wait! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to talk to you that way, but I don't know what's wrong with me, lately I want to cry, laugh and scream at the same time, all the time".

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay; when my sister was pregnant she threw a plate at me in the head just because I said it wasn't as cold as in other years." Andrew said as he hugged her.

Teddy could not help but laugh.

"It's true! I spent Christmas in an emergency room where I got 4 stitches in my head; and changing the subject, I don't want you to think that I was leaving because I was upset or offended, I just wanted to give you space".

"Thanks, and sorry again it's just that ..."

"I know, I know the hormones"

"Yes, and besides ... today my father comes to visit, you have no idea how nervous I am."

"Your father? I didn't know he was still alive, I mean, you never told me about him."

"It's too long a story."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about the other day?"

"Partly".

"How about you tell me as you eat these delicious croissants and I'll make something else for breakfast?"

Teddy just smiled and they both went into the kitchen. While Andrew was preparing scrambled eggs with bacon, she told him the whirlwind of her life. Both cheerful things, as when she and her parents went on vacation; as the sad things, the depression of her mother, the estrangement with her father and the death of Helen, her best friend, in the 9/11 attacks. Despite the time spent together in Seattle, neither Andrew nor Teddy knew much about each other's private life, always enjoying the moment, dining in delicious restaurants, having sex in ridiculously expensive hotel rooms, talking about trivial things, never sharing intimate information about their lives, never getting attached, the irony was that Teddy did got attached and hard, until Henry came to her life.

"Wow, I don't know what to say, I had no idea you'd been through all that". _"No wonder Teddy gets attached so quick and easy on men, for lack of fatherly affection",_ Andrew thought, but this time he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Worst of all is that I can't help but feel guilty for having forgotten everything, for putting my parents and Helen in a trunk that until recently I've never reopened". Teddy's voice trembled. "After Henry's death I fell into a depression that I thought would never get out, I thought I would have the same fate as my mother, I was letting myself die slowly and with me I was taking the only thing I have left of him".

"The important thing is that little by little you are managing to get ahead, and soon you will have someone else who will depend entirely on you. You'll never be alone again, Teddy".

"I know! And that's why I want to do a lot of things! First of all getting my work back, I also want to decorate the nursery, buy new things for the house, plant flowers in the garden, travel; I love to travel, especially when I did it with my parents".

Andrew simply watched Teddy in amazement, it was clear that something had changed in her since the last time they met.

"You know, I have this very special memory of when I was a child, I would be seven or eight years old, my parents and I went on vacation to Colombia, to Cartagena. Andrew, really if you've never been there you should go, it's a beautiful place, the people, the food, the architecture, I had never seen such a variety of colors in one place in my entire life".

"Sounds like heaven".

"It is, at least for me it was, I remember we were having dinner in this beautiful square and out of nowhere a group of men and women approached in this beautiful wardrobe and began to dance, I remember that my father took my mother's hand and although she didn't want in the end she also began to dance. I had never seen her so happy, her smile illuminated her face, her eyes, even when coming home all that light went out I was comforted to think that at least for those days she was happy.

Teddy couldn't keep her eyes from filling with tears as she remembered her mother and the moments of happiness that she passed her.

"I do not know what I'm going to do when I see my father. On the phone the conversation was as before but… When I see him in person? When he is in front of me? What shall I tell him, what shall I do?"

"You'll know when you have him face to face".

Andrew was looking directly into Teddy's eyes, there was something in his look that she had already seen and knew perfectly, the same look of that day when he proposed to her to go to Germany with him. Little by little the distance between their faces became shorter and before doing something she could regret Teddy turned her head. The silence sowed between them for a few seconds until Teddy had a better idea.

"Will you be very busy today?" She asked Andrew.

"No, it's actually my day off".

"What about your fiancée? Don't you want to spend your day off with her?"

"Do you mind if we talk about it another time?" It was obvious Andrew felt uncomfortable to hear about Anne-Claire.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be inopportune".

"No, no, not at all, it's just that she and I had a pretty tough fight, that's all".

"I'm really sorry, I hope things between you two get better, you both make an excellent couple".

Andrew just smiled at Teddy's comment. _"You and I will make a better couple",_ he thought but once again saying nothing.

"In that case, if you're free, I'd like to ask you a favor".

"Of course, tell me what can I do for you?"

"It's only if you can but ... Would you accompany me to the train station?"

"To pick up your father?"

"Yeah". Teddy looked down, afraid Andrew would say no.

"Of course, count on me".

The rest of the morning and part of the afternoon Teddy and Andrew spent the time together. Remembering old times and talking about everything a little. Until Teddy got the call from her father telling her that in about half an hour he would get to the train station. The time had come.

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 **Song:** **What the Water Gave Me – Florence + the Machine.**

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 **So? A** **ny opinion, thought or suggestion is welcome. Don't hesitate to leave a comment.**


	12. Chapter 11

**I've been thinking cutting or deleting some future chapters. But I've also been thinking about ending this story with Teddy leaving Germany (which would be a few more chapters) and start a new story focused on her an Owen's life in Seattle.**

 **But I do not know, it all depends on whether people really like this story or not. So if I decide to finish this story and start a new one Owen will have several mentions on this and will be main character in the second part. As I clarified in the first chapter the general idea of this story was already written, however inspiration struck me and I have enough chapters for just finish this story or for finish this an start a new one.**

 **So let me know what you think, should I finish this story and start the new one? Or I should just finish this?**

 **And for the question about Derek, you don' have idea how much I regret having killed Mark and Lexie. But when I wrote this Derek was still alive so no worries, although at first I didn't know how to integrate him into my story since he and Teddy were never exactly the best friends I've had an idea how to add him, so although he will not be a main character in case of publishing the second part he will have several mentions. Also many other characters from Grey Sloan Memorial.**

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 _ ***KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language, so if you have any grammatical corrections to do, please let me know, this helps me improve my grammar.***_

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Chapter 11

 **Come Home**

 _There's someone I've been missing, I think they could be the better half of me... So I say to you, come home cause I've been waiting for you for so long…_

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Andrew and Teddy left the house to go to the train station, Teddy couldn't stop shaking, something Andrew immediately noticed so he took her by the shoulders gently.

"Teddy, hey, calm down everything will be fine, I'll be by your side all the time, okay?"

Teddy could not say anything, just returned a half smile.

"Do you want me to drive?" Andrew offered.

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble, I'm too nervous; I don't think I can take us to the station alive". This time Teddy tried to sound more relaxed but just couldn't.

Andrew took the keys of the black Mercedes-Benz CLA class from Teddy's trembling hands and helping her into the passenger seat, both headed toward the station. Although it was a very short stretch, no more than 10 minutes, for Teddy it seemed that time wasn't advancing; it was the longest journey of her life.

When they finally found a parking spot, Andrew came up to help her get out of the car, but Teddy simply sat staring at the windshield, frowning.

Scared.

"I can't do it, I can't." Tears began to collect in her eyes. She felt a cold sweat build on her forehead, the air had left her lungs, she felt nauseous, her heart was beating hard and her baby didn't stop moving and twisting.

"You can do it Teddy, but if you want we can take a few minutes, you need to calm down, you're shaking and that's not good for you or the baby." Andrew said in an attempt to calm her down. "Take a deep breath, look at me." Teddy looked straight into his eyes. "Inhale, exhale, deep inhale, exhale, that's it".

After a few minutes Teddy managed to calm down a bit, although she still felt her whole body trembling, slowly descending from the car Andrew led her into the station, always by her side with a hand on the small of her back. Teddy couldn't think, couldn't listen, it was as if time had stopped, after so many years she would finally have before her the man whom she has loved the most and whom has loved her the most in her life.

"Did he tell you which platform?" Andrew asked. She didn't answer. "Teddy, are you listening to me?"

"What?"

"I asked you if your father told you at which platform the train would arrive".

"Eh, yes… no… I don't remember." Her eyes tried to contain the tears that threatened to fall freely

"Okay, let's see the arrival slate; it's coming from Frankfurt, isn't it?"

Teddy simply nodded and as they both headed for the arrivals slate she heard someone shouting her name, her whole body froze and once again her heart began to beat rapidly, her knees trembled, she couldn't form a coherent thought in her head.

"TEDDY! Over here".

Slowly Andrew and Teddy turned to where the voice came from, she couldn't believe her eyes, her father, Nicholas Altman was there, after all these years. The years were evident in his appearance, his hair almost white and his face looked tired, thin, almost ill.

For a few seconds Teddy and her father stood staring at each other, as Teddy saw her father walking towards her direction her heart began to beat even harder, she could almost feel it in her ears, in her throat, her legs trembled and her head was throbbing and spinning. The last thing her head recorded was the voice of someone shouting her name, then the darkness and the silence invaded her completely.

…

Peace. It was the only thing Teddy could feel, an immense peace, it was as if for a moment there were no problems or worries, her body and her mind hadn't felt so much peace for a long time, however like everything in her life it didn't last long. Little by little Teddy I regained consciousness, she found herself in a small room without windows and saw Andrew talking to a man in a white coat. Teddy tried to get up using the support of her elbows but her head couldn't stop spinning. A stifled groan came from her throat, immediately Andrew was at her side.

"Teddy, you finally wake up, don't get up, rest".

"My head is killing me. Where are we?"

"At the station's medical services, you fainted almost two hours ago. Do you remember anything?"

"My father? Andrew, where is my father?! Did he arrived or did I imagined all?" Teddy was getting worried.

"Okay, first of all you have to calm down. Okay? Yours and the baby's blood pressure are quite low so I need you to calm down".

Teddy nodded sheepishly, biting her lips to keep from crying.

"Your father is outside; he didn't want you to see him when you woke up in case you felt shocked again".

"Could you tell him to come in, please?"

"Not yet, first we have to stabilize your blood pressure, another impression may not be pretty good and we may have to take you to a hospital, so calm down. Okay?"

"Okay"

"I'll leave you alone for a moment, rest while the medication takes effect, I'll go and inform your father that you're awake".

Andrew turned around to leave the room when Teddy took him by the wrist.

"Thank you for being here; I really don't know what I would've done without you by my side".

"It would probably have been a very hard fall." Andrew said trying to liven up the mood.

Once alone, Teddy began to think of all the things she would say to her father once she saw him, but nothing pleased her. Some words sounded pretty rancorous and others pretty insipid, as if she hadn't seen him for almost ten years. A few minutes later, the doctor came in to check the bag of IV.

"Dr. Altman, how do you feel?"

"Much better. How is my baby? Since I woke up I haven't felt it move once."

"In a moment I'll respond to that, meanwhile I'll give you another checkup."

After checking her blood pressure, her temperature as well as a quick examination to the baby's heart beat Teddy was discharged. Andrew came in with a wheelchair.

"Andrew, is that really necessary? I can walk perfectly". Teddy said protesting.

"This time I will not take any chances, miss, so let's go your carriage is waiting".

Andrew helped her to get out of bed and sit in the wheelchair, taking her to the car. Teddy couldn't help but notice that her father was nowhere in sight.

"Andrew, where is my father?"

"Oh, I hope it doesn't bother you but we decided it would be better if you two meet up at home, maybe in a familiar atmosphere you'll be more confident and before you protest no nerves on the way home. He's absolutely happy to see you again, so there's nothing to fear, are we?"

Teddy simply returned a shy smile, when suddenly a small gasp escaped from her lips and immediately her hands covered her baby bump. Alarmed, Andrew crouched in front of her.

"Teddy, what is it? Is it the baby? Do you want us to go back to the doctor?"

"No, no, no, sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Just someone decided to wake up and its kicks took me by surprise, that's all".

Andrew watched in fascination as Teddy gently stroked her rounded belly, unlike a few hours ago this time her face radiated peace, as if she and her baby could communicated, she through the soft caresses and it responding with more and more vigorous movements. Andrew couldn't help but lay his hand on Teddy's belly. She simply stared at him in astonishment.

"Teddy, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you".

"Not at all". Teddy took his hand and directed it to the left of her belly where the movements felt the most. "Do you feel it?" They both couldn't help but smile.

"Yes! Wow! Would you believe if I told you that I had never felt a baby move? In the mother's womb I mean".

After a while marveling at the baby's movements, both decided it was time to go home, someone was waiting for them.

This time Teddy didn't hesitate to get out of the car, walking steadily towards the door. When she opened the door, she couldn't keep her eyes from filling with tears at the image she saw.

Her father was placing silverware on the table and an exquisite scent came from the kitchen. Lasagna and garlic bread. Nicholas Altman specialty. They both froze but this time there were no fainting, just tears of happiness, the two of them ran to hug each other tightly, whispering _"I love you"_ and _"Forgive me"._

Nicholas took Teddy's face in both hands, caressing her hair, her cheeks, wiping her tears. "My girl, my teddy bear, I can't believe it's you".

Of all the words Teddy had planned to tell her father, none came to her mind at that moment, she merely embraced her father as if her life depended on it. Seeing the dramatic meeting Andrew felt he was out of place, but just as he was about to leave Nicholas's voice stopped him.

"How, are you leaving?"

"Oh yes, I wouldn't want to interrupt this very special moment".

"Nonsenses! Come sit down, the lasagna and the bread will soon be out of the oven, come on; I put a place for you at the table".

Andrew turned to see Teddy for approval; she simply took him by the hand and directed him to the table.

"Teddy bear, you have no idea how well Andrew and I got along, what a man! We really could spend hours talking without running out of topics". Nicholas said cheerfully as he headed to the kitchen to check that everything was fine with his dishes.

"Teddy bear?" Andrew said mockingly.

"'What a man?' You didn't spend more than two hours with my father and he's already in love with you". Teddy said, feigning annoyance.

"I usually have that effect with the parents".

After checking that everything was fine in the kitchen, Nicholas came out with a tray of snacks.

"I'm afraid the bread will still take a little bit so meanwhile I made some snacks, go Teddy, eat, I don't want you to pass out again".

"It wasn't because I didn't eat, Dad". Teddy said shyly.

"I know, but I still want you to eat, just look at yourself, except for your belly you're too thin to be pregnant. As long as I'm here, neither you nor my grandchild will be badly fed". Nicholas replied with a light slap on Teddy's baby bump, she immediately took her father's hand and looked into his eyes with all the love she hadn't give him almost ten years.

"Believe it or not, your mother would be very proud to see what you have become. Maybe she didn't show it very often but she loved you Teddy, with all her heart. But enough, let's stop talking about sad things. How are you doing here in Germany? What exactly do you do in this MEDCOM?"

Teddy was not sure if talking about her current situation might qualify as _"less sad things"._

"To tell you the truth, I still don't get to work ... I had some minor health problems, but they are under control". Teddy said quickly when she saw her father's concerned face.

The rest of the evening passed with great tranquility, the conversation flowed between the three, although Teddy feared the moment when she and her father would be alone, without Andrew serving as a buffer.

To her luck once Andrew left the conversation didn't lose fluency, on the contrary, Teddy and Nicholas talked about more personal things, both asked for forgiveness, they laughed, they cried, they hugged, everything to reward those almost ten years lost, no one looked at the clock until Teddy could no longer contain the yawn that came out of her mouth, it had easily been the most strenuous day she had had in a long time.

"Ok, miss; enough talk we have all the week to catch up, so go on, let's go to sleep".

Teddy remembered when her father took her to bed; he wrapped her between the sheets and stroked her hair until she fell asleep.

"Dad. Would you stroke my hair like you did when I was a child?"

Nicholas's eyes filled with tears. "I thought you'd never ask for it"

Nicholas stroked Teddy's hair as she stroked her belly, both of them cooing their children. In a few minutes Teddy was sound asleep, Nicholas kissed her forehead, put the quilt under her jaw, turned off the light and retired to his room, it would be a long and exciting week.

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 **Song:** **Come Home – One Republic**

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 **So? Let me know your** **thoughts :D**


	13. Chapter 12

**I published a oneshot inspired by this story, if you haven't checked it or want to do it you can find it in my profile. Don'** **t forget to let me know what you think** **;)**

 **AND**

 **Thank you so, so, so, soooooo much to all the people who have taken the time to leave a comment, you are the best!**

 ** _*KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language*_**

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Chapter 12

 **Daughters**

 _Fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do, girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters to..._

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A delicious scent woke up Teddy from the best and most restorative of the dreams she had had since Henry died, the delicious aroma of waffles made her mouth salivate, but apparently a certain tiny human didn't find it as delicious as her since in no time Teddy was kneeling in front of the toilet, returning the contents of her stomach.

"Hey honey, don't you like waffles?" Teddy said stroking her baby bump and feeling the baby's movements. "Grandpa makes the best waffles in the world, I'm sure you're going to love them." A few weeks ago Teddy would have felt completely stupid just thinking about talking to her belly. But now, Teddy found an endless source of fascination talking to her baby, feeling its movements that she sometimes took as answers, creating a bond with him or her.

Once she felt her stomach more settled Teddy rinsed her mouth, taking her dressing gown she went to the kitchen where she found her father in a checkered apron which Teddy didn't know where he had taken it from. Nicholas was squeezing oranges. On the kitchen table, which was by the window with a view of the garden, there were already two plates placed, a bowl in the center with fruit, yogurt, a tower of waffles, jam, butter, tea and coffee. That was a feast.

"Are we expecting someone else for breakfast?" Teddy said unable to hide the amazement in her voice. At the same time she approached Nicholas to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, teddy bear! How did my girls sleep?" Nicholas couldn't help patting Teddy's belly.

"Your girls? What if it's a boy?"

"Oh no, it's a girl, mark my words. It's grandparent's instinct. Do you remember Emmanuel Lawrence?"

"The pharmaceutical owner?" Teddy replied as she sat at the table and devouring the grapes in the bowl of fruit.

"The same. Well, he guessed the sex of his four grandchildren, so did Charles Edwards whit his two granddaughters. I'm telling you, it's a grandparent thing".

Teddy could not stop laughing and oh God! It felt so good. "Tomorrow we can confirm or not your theories, I have an appointment with the OB-GYN. Do you want to accompany me?"

"For real?!"

"For real!"

The rest of the day Teddy and Nicholas spend the time out of the house, walking the small streets of Landstuhl.

The next day Nicholas was the first to get up; it seemed that he was more excited than Teddy to know the sex of the baby. Both went to the Medical Center and after a while waiting Dr. Reynolds finally called them in.

"Good morning Dr. Altman, I'm glad to see you again"

"Likewise Dr. Reynolds, let me to introduce you to my father, Nicholas Altman". Both men shook hands.

After the usual questions and routine physical exams Dr. Reynolds proceeded to perform the ultrasound.

"This time I would like to know the baby's sex, Doctor, if it's possible". As the doctor checked meticulously the monitor's images, Nicholas was astonished to see his first grandchild. On the other hand Teddy couldn't avoid the question. "Doctor, it maybe sounds stupid what I'm going to ask you being myself a doctor, but… I can't help it; it's something that's been spinning in my head for a while".

"Tell me, Dr. Altman. Have you had any problems?" Bleeding or unusual pains? Remember there is no stupid question, much least for first-time mothers".

"Do you think my belly size is normal? Are you sure there's only one baby in here? I've seen a lot of cases where the second baby manages to hide for months, so I don't know, maybe…" Before Teddy continued with her ranting speech Dr. Reynolds interrupted.

"Teddy, Teddy is perfectly normal, to tell you the truth there is no established rule for the size the belly should or shouldn't have it depends on each woman, and to reassure you there's only one little and healthie heart inside. Do you want to know sex?" Dr. Reynolds said to Teddy and Nicholas.

Teddy took her father's hand; they were both nervous and extremely excited.

"Congratulations, Dr. Altman, it's a girl".

"Yes, I knew it, I told you Teddy!" Nicholas could not help but jump from his seat and scream with emotion. He was right. _His girls._

Teddy couldn't stop crying. A girl. Henry and she would have a little girl, only he wouldn't have the joy of knowing her. She only hopped for her to have his eyes, even though hers were also green they weren't like Henry's, they didn't have their spark, their liveliness, Teddy wanted that for her daughter.

"I'll leave you for a moment; I'll go out for the ultrasound impressions". The doctor said before retiring and leaving Teddy alone with her father.

"Angela". Teddy said softly stroking her belly.

"What did you say?" Nicholas couldn't believe it.

"I'll call her Angela, like my mother, do you agree?" Tears began to build up once again on Teddy's green-grey eyes.

Nicholas had run out of words, he just hugged Teddy while they both cried with happiness.

"Hey Angela, I'm your grandfather Nicholas, you have no idea how anxious I am to meet you". Nicholas spoke tenderly to Teddy's belly, Angela responded with a vigorous series of movements.

The following days were of extremely happiness and the week that Nicholas had planned to stay in Germany became in more than a month; the last week of his stay Teddy and he decided to go to the city that kept the most good memories for both.

 _Rome._

For days they walked through the Italian streets, walking through every corner that had a meaning for them, talking, laughing, taking photographs, creating new memories, enjoying the time together, forgetting the past, looking to the future, forgiving.

One day eating _gelato_ in the small _gelateria_ in front of the _Fontana di Trevi_ (Trevi Fountain) where Nicholas and Angela Altman had gotten engaged 45 years ago, another day throwing red roses to the _Fiume Tevere_ (Tiber River) where part of Angela's ashes had been thrown 30 years ago, another day enjoying the warm breeze and sunshine in _Piazza di Spagna_ (Spain Square) where Teddy had taken her first steps 39 years ago.

Soon the week was over and the time came when Nicholas had to return to New York, between tears and hugs Teddy and Nicholas said goodbye. They never thought the farewell would be so hard, both promised to stay in touch, Nicholas swore to return to Germany to be present at Angela's birth, they promised never to let the distance and time get in their way. At last Teddy had made peace with her father. Nicholas had won his daughter back and also won a granddaughter, nothing and no one would make this change. There was no doubt that the future promised a bluer sky, the clouds were gone, all Teddy saw was the resplendent sun. The future. A future of love and happiness, a future with Angela and the moment was getting closer and closer…

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 **Song: Daughters - John Mayer**

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 **The birth of Teddy's baby is getting closer and I'm pretty excited! I want everyone to read that chapter, personally is my favorite and** **don't forget to leave a comment if you liked this and also if not. :)**


	14. Chapter 13

_***KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language***_

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Chapter 13

 **Goodbye My Lover**

 _Did I disappoint you or let you down? Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown? 'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun, yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won..._

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Days and weeks went by, Teddy's mood was getting better every day and this hadn't gone unnoticed for Dr. Wilson who authorized Teddy to go back to work, take the reins of MEDCOM as soon as she wanted, yet she decided to wait until Angela's birth, meanwhile she would begin teaching residents and giving consultations at the Regional Medical Center, Teddy couldn't believe that she was already in the 26th week of pregnancy; in her last consultation with Dr. Reynolds he had given her an estimated delivery date for early December, just in time for Christmas. Teddy couldn't help but feel excited just thinking that she would spend her favorite holiday with her father and her new born little angel.

Teddy was getting ready for her date with Andrew while talking to Arizona on Skype.

"So, you and the sexy, sexy, sexy counselor are dating again?" Arizona asked.

"Are you crazy?! Among the classes, the patients, my consultations with the psychiatrist and Angela at the moment I have no head for anything, much less for a relationship, besides Andrew is engaged and… I don't know if I'm ready for another man". Her last words were melancholic.

"I'm sorry Teddy, I didn't mean to upset you, it's just that as your best friend and future godmother of Angie, I want to see you happy".

"And I'm happy, Arizona! Really, despite the distance I have you, Callie, Owen and my father, I have a job and I will soon have my baby. Believe me if I tell you that I'm immensely happy". This time her words were true. She wasn't trying to convince anyone of her false happiness because this time it wasn't false, Teddy was happy, extremely happy.

"Okay, I believe you, by the way Callie and I have a surprise for you" Arizona disappeared for a few seconds and then returned with an envelope in her hands. "Don't you guess what it's this?"

"I have no idea, but tell me that I'm about to leave".

"It's nothing more and nothing less than our reservations to go to Germany this Christmas".

"NO! You swear it to me?" If Teddy was happy now she was immensely happy.

"Callie, Sophia and I will go to Germany to spend Christmas with Angie and whit you".

Teddy wanted to continue her talk with Arizona but the doorbell made it impossible.

"I'm so sorry Arizona but it seems that Andrew came for me, I have to go"

Before Teddy cut the video call Arizona was quick to say. "Swear to call me when you arrive from your appointment, no matter what time I'm on call. I want to know all the juicy details of your appointment with the sexy counselor".

"Bye Arizona" Teddy couldn't help but smile, her video calls with Arizona always put her in a good mood.

Opening the door Andrew was waiting for her with a single sunflower and a gift bag.

"The flower is for you and this is for Angela". Andrew said raising the bag with a smile.

"Thank you so much Andrew, just let me put this beauty on water and we can go".

Andrew decided to take Teddy to Kaiserslautern, once in the restaurant they talked, ate and drank. Teddy assured Andrew that it was okay if he decided to take a glass or two of wine; it was like in the old days. Suddenly Andrew took Teddy's hand, she immediately noticed that Andrew was about to say something important, so she rushed to speak.

"Thank you very much for this evening, I'm really enjoying this very much".

"Like in the old days, isn't it?"

"Yes, like in the old days".

After a few seconds in silence Andrew finally spoke again.

"Teddy, I'm afraid I have something important to tell you".

"Andrew, don't scare me, is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes everything is fine, it's just… I don't know how to say this". Andrew looked up at the starry sky, hoping to find the words there for what he had to say. "Last week I received a call from Charité University Hospital in Berlin".

"Wow, as far as I know it's one of the best hospitals in psychiatric care in Berlin".

"Yes, that's right, the point is… they offered me work, not as head of psychiatry but as director of the whole neurological-psychiatric area".

Teddy didn't know what to say. "Oh, the whole neurological and psychiatric division, well… it's an excellent offer. And what did you answered?"

"I still don't answer them; the truth is that I don't know what to answer".

"I understand, your fiancée is here in Landstuhl, you have just assumed your position in the Regional Medical Center, it is a difficult decision".

"Anne-Claire and I broke up and the time I've been here doesn't really bother me".

"No? Then why hesitate? Andrew, is an offer job that many would kill for".

Andrew stared at her in silence. _"She doesn't realize it's because of her that I'm still here",_ he thought. After a few seconds he decided that it would be best to make things clear.

"Ask for it Teddy, ask me not to leave and I will give up the offer in Berlin, this time I will not leave without you, if you ask me I will stay".

Teddy was stunned; she couldn't believe that the story was repeating itself again.

"Andrew… I… I don't know what said. You know that I'm not ready for a new relationship".

"I'll wait for you Teddy, as long as it takes."

"It's not fair Andrew, neither for you nor for me, it's not fair to have you tied to a false hope and I say false because the truth is that I do not know if someday I'll be ready. Besides… I'm pregnant with another man's child. It's not fair".

After pondering Teddy's words for a few seconds, Andrew finally found his voice.

"So that's all. I guess we weren't meant to be together".

"I'm sorry Andrew, you know that I love you and I thank you infinitely for everything you've done for me since we met again, but I just don't feel it, you can't force love, you told me yourself that time when we agreed to date without compromise.

"Okay… I guess I have a call to make and a flight to book. It was nice to see you again and I really wish you the best in the world, to you and to Angela".

Rising from his seat Andrew left some money for the bill and his car keys.

"Take the car, I'll go on the train, I've drunk and I don't know if I can drive like this, tomorrow my assistant will come to your house to pick it up". Andrew was about to leave but Teddy managed to stop him.

"Andrew, wait, you can't go like this!"

"You're right".

Andrew took Teddy's face between his big hands and planted his lips with hers and although at first she resisted Teddy ended up yielding to the tender but at the same time hungry kiss. Andrew interrupted the kiss and put his forehead against Teddy's. "You have no idea how much I love you… Goodbye Teddy".

Before Teddy could react Andrew had already left the restaurant. Teddy didn't know what to do, whether to run after him or call him, but what would she say? Even if she saw or spoke him again that wouldn't make her feelings change, it wasn't fair.

Teddy managed to get home even though the tears hadn't stopped since she leaved the restaurant. Exhausted, she flopped onto the couch, staring at the ceiling, thousands of questions and possibilities invaded her head. _What if Andrew manages to make her overcome Henry's death? She loved him once, she can love him again. There will never be anyone like Henry. What if there is? Maybe I can be happy with Andrew._ So the minutes passed until exhaustion invaded her body not realizing that she had fallen asleep on the couch thinking about how the future could be with Andrew, hoping that tomorrow he personally would pick up his car, but if so… What would she say?

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 **Song:** **Goodbye My Lover – James Blunt**


	15. Chapter 14

**I want to thank everyone who have continued reading this story up to this point but specially dedicate this chapter** **to "luciebean"** **for the beautiful reviews :D**

 _ ***KINDLY REMINDER: English isn't my language***_

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Chapter 14

 **A Sky Full Of Stars**

 _"'Cause you're a sky full of stars_ _I'm gonna give you my heart, 'cause you're a sky full of stars. 'Cause you light up the path I don't care, go on and tear me apart, I don't care if you do, 'cause in a sky full of stars I think I saw you"._

* * *

The next morning Teddy got up earlier than usual, she really hoped that Andrew would come to pick up his car, however she was very disappointed when saw who was knocking at the door.

"Good morning Dr. Altman, I'm Jennifer, Dr. Perkins' assistant; I'm coming for his car keys. It's the red one, right?" The young woman said with exaggerated enthusiasm for the early time it was.

"Yes, that's it. And Dr. Perkins? He told me he would come and pick up the car". Teddy lied waiting to get some information out without seeming too obvious.

"Oh, didn't he tell you? Dr. Perkins is on a train bound for Berlin, he left Landstuhl this morning".

A knot formed in Teddy's throat. "And he didn't leave you a message for me?"

"No, I'm so sorry".

"It's okay, I'll call him. Here you go", Teddy said, handing her the keys. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for work." And with that Teddy closed the door, leaning her back against it she couldn't help but slide down to the floor. Andrew had left without saying a single word. All night before she had tried to communicate with him, at first her calls weren't answered, then the call simply didn't connect; Andrew had turned off his cell phone.

Days went by and Teddy still didn't succeed in contacting him. Dr. Wilson advised her to stop and wait for things to go the way they should, even Arizona advised the same thing to her.

"Teddy, it's been two weeks without him answering a single call or e-mail. Don't you think the message is clear? You should forget about him. You said that yourself; you have too many things to think about".

Teddy and Arizona had been discussing the same thing for days. So taking advantage of their weekly video call Arizona decided to speak clearly.

"Callie and I think it's best if you let things flow without forcing them".

"I think the same as Arizona, let it go". A voice interrupted their conversation.

"Who is it?" Teddy asked.

"It's Hunt! Hunt, tell her, maybe she'll listen to you. Isn't it true that is better if she stop worrying about the sexy counselor?"

Owen couldn't help feeling uncomfortable listening to Arizona refer to Andrew as the _"sexy counselor"._ But he still took the chair next to her and approached the computer screen. On the other side Teddy seemed to be busy giving instructions to someone.

"Now, who is ...? OWEN!"

"Hey Teddy, how are you? How's my goddaughter?" Owen asked waiting for Arizona's reaction. Since they both knew Teddy was pregnant they kept arguing about who would be Angela's godfather or godmother.

"Excuse me? Angie will be my Goddaughter". Said Arizona trying to sound upset with Owen.

"Your goddaughter? I have more rights; I've known Teddy for longer than you". Owen replied.

Teddy couldn't stop smiling when she saw her two best friends discuss on who would godparent her daughter. "Okay, okay, calm down you two. We will discuss that later".

Suddenly a nurse came into Teddy's office. "I'm so sorry, Doctor Altman, but it's about the patient from this morning, her family wants to know how she did in surgery".

"Wow, so you went back to the O.R.". Arizona said.

"Something like that, the patient needed urgent surgery and only I was available, you have no idea how nervous I was, but in the end it felt so good to be back in the O.R.".

"I'm really happy for you, Teddy." Owen said. "And before you go, remember what Arizona and I told you, stop worrying and you'll see that things will take the course they have to take".

Teddy just smiled and said goodbye to both.

The days passed by and Teddy decided that maybe her friends were right, now all that mattered was her and Angela. So it was.

The following weeks went faster than Teddy thought. The work was excellent as well her consultations with Dr. Wilson, but what excited Teddy the most was the arrival of Angela that every day was closer.

Teddy bought books on maternity and pregnancy, despite being a physician it have been years since the las time she had had contact with anything related whit obstetrics, basically since her residence, so the books helped her understand what was happening with her and the baby's body week-to-week, as well as what was to come. Her appetite was growing by day and Teddy didn't hesitate to give her body what it asked for, her weight also began to increase, which Teddy didn't like completely, even with Dr. Reynolds reassuring words that ensured that her weight was perfectly normal for her state of pregnancy.

Also, her appointments with Dr. Reynolds confirmed that everything was absolutely fine with Angela and her health. Teddy had decided to take the Prenatal Genetic Test a few weeks ago.

 _Negative_.

Angela hadn't inherited the cruel illness that had taken her father away, she was completely healthy. It was the best news Teddy could have heard, it was what she wanted; she cried with happiness and called her father, Arizona and Owen to give them the good news.

If before her condition was evident now at 30 weeks it was even more so. Teddy was beginning to feel the weight growing life, according to the books she was reading Angela already weighed around 3 pounds and seized around 11 or 13 inches or so, which was easy enough to believe given the size of her baby bump that made her daily tasks pretty difficult, such as tying her shoes or even getting up from the couch or the bed.

The skin on her breasts and her belly felt tenser day by day. Luckily so far it hadn't appeared any stretch marks on her body, following Callie's advice to keep her skin moisturized at all times. As the days passed her discomfort grew, her back ached, and the heartburn were infernal as well as the lack of air. But Teddy found comfort in knowing that she would soon have a part of Henry in her arms.

The best was when Owen decided to come and visit her for a few days, together they went to Frankfurt to buy all the furniture for Angie's nursery. Crib, chest of drawers, changing table, rocking chair, toys, carpets, curtains, lamps, etc. Together they painted the room and Owen helped her set all the furniture when the shop made them arrive at Landstuhl. Everything was in soft shades of gray and white with hints of pastel pink.

Soon came the day that Owen had to return to Seattle and her to work. Teddy still enjoyed walking through Landstuhl streets, she wanted to stay in shape or at least not lose it altogether by the time Angela was born.

Teddy loved coming home from work, putting on her pajamas and lying on the couch; she could spend hours marveling at Angela's movements, lightly pressing her belly to feel a small hand, foot or her tiny back, watching the skin of her abdomen waving with each movement. On weekends, she used to spend most of the day in bed, watching movies or listening to music, she even bought a pair of belly buds, Teddy was astonished to see how Angela calmed her vigorous movements whenever she put some music to her.

Also she could spend a lot of time naked in front of the bathroom mirror, admiring the changes that her body had had in recent months, which was once a tiny bump in her lower belly that she tried to ignore most of the time, was now a huge bump that prevented her completely from seeing her feet. Teddy loved stroking her belly; she couldn't believe that her body which had always been so thin and athletic could grow to these dimensions, so did her breasts.

And so the days and the weeks passed. As Teddy's belly continued to grow, her comfort diminished, her back ached more and more, and her bladder couldn't last more than an hour without her feeling the need to empty it. For her part, Angela's movements trying to fit inside her womb were increasingly aggressive and sudden, making her even groan in pain. _"Soon, soon."_ Teddy used to say.

And so it was...

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 **Song:** **A Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay**

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 **Reviews are welcome :)**


	16. Chapter 15

**Personally this is my favorite chapter** **until now** **, I enjoyed writing it a lot and I hope you like it as much as I do. :)**

 **We are approaching the final stretch of this story, at least of this part...** **We'll move to Seattle!**

 **P.S: Tanks for read/review**

 ***KINDLY REMINDER:English isn't my language***

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Chapter 15

 **Angel**

 _Angel, knew you were special from the moment I saw you, I saw you; I said angel, I feel you're closer every time I call you, I call you..._

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It was a chilly December morning, although it wasn't snowing yet, the cold chilled to the bones; Teddy hadn't managed to sleep much, she had suffered from slight contractions for days, Braxton Hicks the midwives had said three days ago when was rushed to the E.R. with strong contractions so she decided not to give them much importance this time around.

Although she had been granted maternity leave at the Medical Center two weeks ago it was a busy day for Teddy since her father, Arizona, Callie and Sophia had arrived a week ago to visit and to spend holidays. There were Christmas shopping to do and places to visit, but little Angela had other plans.

Leaving her room Teddy went slowly waddling to the kitchen where everyone was waiting her for breakfast. The moment Sophia saw her she stretched her chubby arms towards her, babbling what seemed to be _"Aunt Teddy"._ Noticing the tiredness on her face Callie decided it was better to let her rest.

"No _chiquita_ , you're too heavy for _tía_ Teddy to lift you up".

"It's okay, give me here", Teddy said stretching her arms to Sophia when she saw her threatening to throw a tantrum.

"Are you sure? You better sit down; I don't want the two of you to end up on the floor".

Callie placed Sofia in Teddy's lap. " _B-by A-la_ ", babbled Sophia as she patted and planted small kisses on Teddy's big baby bump.

"That's right princess, baby Angela is here inside".

"Teddy, do you feel good? You look pretty tired, darling. How many hours did you sleep?" Nicholas asked with concern.

"The truth is that I couldn't sleep quite well, I still have these small contractions".

"Are you sure they are Braxton Hick? Do you want me to give you a look?" Arizona asked equally worried.

"No thanks, they really are not very strong, anyway I'll let you all know if I feel any change". Teddy said trying to convince everyone.

"Girls, breakfast is ready." Nicholas said coming out of the kitchen with a pitcher of hot chocolate.

"Your father is so sweet, Teddy." Arizona said completely in love with how Nicholas was not just with her, Callie and Sofia, but with Teddy, made her miss her father.

Suddenly, in the middle of breakfast Teddy couldn't help it, her mouth let out a loud groan causing her to bend in pain, in seconds Arizona and her father were at her side.

"TEDDY! WHAT HAPPEN? DID THE CONTRACTIONS GET WORSE?" Arizona asked.

Teddy couldn't answer, the pain was unbearable, it ran from her back to her belly and even her legs, a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, little by little the pain was diminishing and finally she could speak.

"I'm 100 percent sure that these are not Braxton Hicks, my waters broke". Teddy said panting.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" Arizona asked.

"Yes, yes please".

"Okay then, so how about I take Teddy to the hospital and Callie, you stay with Sophia and Nicholas" Arizona was trying to organize everyone, like a good Marine's daughter.

"No way will I let my daughter go without me, I'm coming with you". Nicholas replied.

"It's okay, Arizona, I'll stay here with Sofia, but please keep me informed".

With that, Teddy, Nicholas and Arizona headed to the hospital. On the way Teddy had another strong contraction, this time Arizona tried to time it.

"Okay, this lasted for almost a minute and about fifteen minutes ago it was your last contraction and I'm not an expert but I can say that you are at an early stage".

Teddy didn't respond, she didn't want to spend the little energy she had. Once she arrived at the hospital a midwife performed the relevant checkup and effectively, Teddy was officially in labor with 5 centimeters of dilation. Immediately they transferred her to a room and changed her clothes into a gown.

The hours passed and the contractions only became stronger, longer and with less time between one and other. Arizona helped Teddy take small walks through the hospital corridors, stopping when a new contraction hit her hard. Nicholas was a nervous wreck, feeling helpless and powerless for being unable to do anything to relieve his girl's pain.

Six hours later Teddy was completely exhausted and although she initially refused the epidural once the contractions became more intense with much sorrow she asked to call the anesthesiologist. Arizona and her father assured her that asking for the epidural didn't make her less or worse mother. Once the anesthesia took effect Teddy was able to sleep for a while.

A couple of hours later Callie arrived, whit a sleepy Sophia in arms, to find out how everything went.

"There haven't been many changes, she's been in labor for almost ten hours and she doesn't exceed six centimeters of dilatation. Doctors said that if there are no changes in the next few hours they will have to take her to the OR for a C-section". Arizona said, catching up on Callie.

Two hours later Teddy couldn't sleep more, the contractions were becoming more frequent and painful despite the anesthesia. A midwife came to check on her. Nine centimeters. Just one centimeter more to go and she could start pushing. As the minutes passed Teddy became more restless, her whole body sweating, her heart was beating hard, her breathing irregular. Suddenly she began to hyperventilate frightening everyone in the room.

"Teddy, Teddy, Teddy calm down, it's almost over" Arizona, unlike Callie and Nicholas despite being extremely nervous, tried to appear calm, Teddy needed someone's support. Minutes later Teddy managed to calm down a bit.

"Henry", Teddy whispered in a sob. Olive-green eyes looking directly at crystal-blue.

"He's watching you, honey; he's watching how strong you're being for his baby girl". Arizona continued to try to calm Teddy, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort in her ear.

Half an hour later Teddy was completely dilated.

"Now Teddy, you're ready. On the next contraction I need you to push with all your might". The midwife instructed.

And so it was, in every contraction Teddy put all of her, thinking that soon she would have her little angel in her arms. Although the pain and pressure she was feeling were almost deafening, that didn't stop her.

"Come on Teddy, the head is almost completely out and I can see that somebody has mommy's beautiful blond hair". The midwife encouraged Teddy not to stop. "Well, the head is completely out".

Teddy couldn't help but reach out to touch Angela's head, her first physical contact with her little angel. Beside her, Arizona took her other hand while Callie and Nicholas waited anxiously.

"Come on, don't stop now sweetheart, one more push, come on". Arizona cheered her.

Even though there wasn't much force left in her body, touching her angel's head activated something inside her. Leaning on her elbows Teddy pushed with all the strength left in her letting out a loud cry that in seconds was overshadowed by Angela's gurgling cry.

The midwife immediately placed Angela on Teddy's bare chest and the little one immediately stopped crying as she felt her mother's warmth embrace and listen to her heart. Although the moment didn't last long since the pediatricians had to check up on Angela's health Teddy didn't take her eyes off her baby while she was being exanimated. Minutes later and wrapped in a pastel pink blanket with a matching cap, Angela was returned to her mother's arms.

"Well, something we almost never see but this little angel managed to get 10 on Apgar's scale". The midwife said proudly as she handed the tiny baby over to Teddy.

Teddy's heart swelled with pride and love. At that moment everything and everyone ceased to exist, it was just her and her baby. _This small part of her and Henry_. Teddy knew that in the eyes of a mother all the babies were beautiful but Angela really lived up to her name. Her abundant blonde hair and huge eyelashes were rare for a newborn, but in truth Angela wasn't an ordinary baby. Her skin still pink, her tiny hands and slender fingers that simulated marine stars as she opened and closed them, her fleshy and rosy lips that looked like they were about to kiss you and her eyes, Teddy gasped as Angela opened her eyes, although these were still a strange mixture of gray and dark blue Teddy didn't doubt that over time they would become green, the same shade of green as Henry.

Soon their little bubble was popped with the multiple congratulations of her friends and her father who couldn't help shedding some tears.

"I'm so proud of you, my girl." Nicholas said sobbing.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Nicholas couldn't say anything; he just opened his arms to hold his granddaughter for the first time.

"Teddy, she's beautiful, she really looks like a little angel you did well choosing her name". Arizona said, marveling at Angela's beauty.

Nicholas and Teddy exchanged a nostalgic look.

"It was my mother's name".

"It's a beautiful name," Callie added.

Although Angela's birth was for a moment overshadowed by her father's sad memory, were more the happy moments that brought her birth. In the end Owen was right it was better to let things take their course. Teddy couldn't wait to see what the future was holding for her and her little angel.

* * *

 **Song:** **Angel - The Weeknd**

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 **So? Y** **ou liked it? Yes? No? Let me know. :D**


	17. Chapter 16

***KIND REMINDER: English isn't my language***

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Chapter 16

 **You're The Best Thing About Me**

 _"You're the best thing about me, I'm the kind of trouble that you enjoy, you're the best thing about me..."_

* * *

Angela was just over a month old and Teddy couldn't imagine life without her. After being discharged from the hospital they all returned home, anxious to spend the first few days with Angela. Callie and Arizona were very helpful to Teddy who had never dealt with a newborn 24/7. On the other hand Nicholas was, just like when Teddy was born, completely surrendered to Angela's charms.

Christmas came and with it the snow but that didn't discourage anyone; everyone ate, drank, exchanged gifts and good wishes, it was the perfect Christmas, but like all good things ended sooner than Teddy would've wanted. Arizona, Callie and Sophia returned to Seattle and Nicholas to New York.

For the first time Teddy would be alone with Angela. The thought terrified her, the fact that Arizona was present during Angela's first weeks of life was extremely comforting and not only because she was her best friend but because she basically had a pediatrician at her sole disposal.

At first it was difficult, Angela was restless all the time, day and night, it was as if she felt the absence of her aunts and grandfather, but especially of little Sophia. She could spend hours _"playing and chatting"_ with Angela, it was clear that both girls would be best friends in the future.

Little by little Teddy and the baby fell into a routine, Teddy on her part had finally taken command of MEDCOM and although this left her little time to see Angela she had no choice, no one else would see for them or bring money to the house, it was just the two of them. So Teddy ran every day to leave her little angel at daycare and then run to work. She would leave work and run to pick up Angela. So it was over the next few weeks and months. Until one day…

It was Tuesday and Teddy was dressing Angela to take her to daycare, she couldn't believe that the little baby that a few months ago could fit in just one of her arms will soon be five months. Suddenly the phone rang, without checking the identifier Teddy answered.

"Teddy Altman". Teddy was busy fixing Angela's diaper bag with all the things she might need.

"Teddy, it's me, Andrew".

Teddy left what she was doing to give her full attention to him.

"Andrew, what a surprise you're calling, I honestly didn't expect it. How is everything in Berlin?"

"There's not much to tell, lots of rain, lots of work." Before the silence fell between the two Andrew kept talking. "I knew that Angela was born a few months ago."

"Yes, she was. She was born on December 14th". Teddy couldn't help but smile as she remembered the date when her daughter had come to this world.

"I would've liked to be there".

"I know".

"I got married". Andrew said suddenly. "Anne-Claire and I got married three months ago".

Teddy couldn't help feeling a pang in her stomach, just a few months ago Andrew had confessed his love and now he was married.

"I'm glad for you, Dr. Bourdeu and you were an excellent couple".

"Yes".

Once again the silence, before it became more uncomfortable Teddy said goodbye to Andrew, it was 10 minutes to 7:00 am and chances are that she would be late for work.

"Andrew, I'm really sorry but I have to hang up, I'm late for work and I still have to take Angela to daycare".

"I understand. Are we in touch?"

"I don't know, Andrew." Before he could protest Teddy disconnected the call. "Goodbye Andrew and good luck in your marriage".

Days passed without Teddy giving Andrew a single thought, it was clear that she had finally closed the cycle.

When Teddy least thought it, she looked at her diary and realized that soon Angela would be a year old. She couldn't believe that just 11 months ago she marveled at the movements of her little angel inside her belly and now she was an active little girl.

Every day was a new adventure, a new milestone, a new word, like her first word _"Da"._ It was Sunday and Teddy was making Angela's breakfast when suddenly the little girl began to clap and laugh as she said over and over again _"Da, da, da, da"._ Teddy felt her whole body freeze, with tears in her eyes she turned to see her little angel who was still clapping and laughing. _"Da, da, da"._ Teddy lifted Angela up from her high chair and held her to her chest, crying and laughing raised her head looking at the sky through the window just wishing that Henry was here, imagining his face to hear his little girl as well as the reaction he would have. _"I told you hon, my little angel's first word would be Dad, that or pizza"._ Sure Henry would say, his chest swollen with pride.

Days later Angela's first birthday arrived, Nicholas and Teddy decided to have a small picnic in the local park, nothing too big since Teddy didn't have time to organize something bigger and also didn't have many friends in Landstuhl. Even so, having her father and daughter with her was more than enough. Suddenly Angela, who was crawling all over the garden, approached her grandfather, who was sitting on the grass, leaning on his back Angela managed to get up while her trembling little legs held her swinging back and forth. Immediately Teddy encouraged her baby girl to go to her. With the same look of determination of her father in her huge green eyes, Angela walked swinging to her mother's arms, letting out a loud shriek when Teddy finally wrapped her in her arms.

"That's it, my angel!" Teddy said as she bathed Angela with kisses all over her small face making her squeal as she moved her head and her blond curls jumped from side to side. The wavy-curly blond hair and slightly gold-tanned skin were the only features Angela had inherited from Teddy; everything else was Henry's vivid image, her jade-green eyes, her huge, thick and curly eyelashes, her fleshy lips and that smile that could put Teddy on her knees.

Time went on and things kept changing, Angela was no longer that baby 100% dependent on her mother's care, little by little she became into a little toddler who was already able to hold more or less coherent conversations, she walked, ran and she could more or less dress herself. Teddy used to feel melancholy just to see how much her angel had grown, she was just turned 4 a few weeks ago, then she would be 5, then 6, 10, 20, 30 until she wouldn't need her anymore, shaking the sad thoughts of her head Teddy just enjoyed all the good times and achievements of her daughter, even when Angela arrived from school and asked the question she was so afraid of.

"Mommy, why do the other kids in school have a daddy and I don't?"

Teddy had decided from the beginning that she wouldn't hide anything from her daughter, enough problems she had in the past with the people she loved thanks to lies so she wouldn't let that happen between her and her daughter.

"But why do you say that, my angel? Of course you have Daddy. Who put that idea in your little head?" Answered Teddy as she put aside the medical charts she was checking up and signing, she knew this would be an important conversation.

"Sally Graham, she said that I couldn't go to Father's Day festival because I don't have a daddy, she said I'm an orp… orp... orp-pawn".

"Orphan".

"Yes, that. Am I an or-pawn, Mom?

"Angel, listen to me; technically you are an orphan I'm an orphan too, it isn't something bad or something that should embarrass you, but you have a father who having met you would have loved you with all his heart just as I do. Plus, Grandpa Nicholas promised you he'd be here for Father's Day so you're not going to be alone".

In three months was father's day fete at Angela's school, it would be a day dedicated to fathers and their children, teachers had organized different activities such as soccer matches, craft workshops and musical numbers. Days ago, Angela had begun rehearsing the musical number she would present with her class group, Teddy was more excited than Angela so she dedicated herself to making the costumes for her musical number _"You're the One That I Want" inspired_ by the movie _"Grease "._ Suddenly Angela asked her a question that shocked her.

"Mommy, is uncle Owen my daddy?"

At first Teddy was completely astonished, _Owen_ , she thought. For some strange reason she and Owen had lost all communication, she hadn't seen him practically since Angela's christening, in which he and Arizona were the godparents, after returning to Seattle Owen stopped answering her calls, e-mails and messages, Teddy never understood why or what she had done to provoke that reaction in Owen, no matter how much she asked Arizona if she knew anything, her best friend merely said that Owen was going through very difficult times.

Over time Teddy stopped trying to communicate with him and little by little she thought less of him until this day than Angela had mentioned him. Angela knew about Owen because of the many photographs she had hanging around the house, but Teddy didn't understand what made her daughter think that he was her father when practically since Angie began to talk Teddy showed her pictures of Henry, letting her know who he was and how her father looked.

"MOMMY!" Angela yelled pulling Teddy out of her trance.

"Tell me, my angel".

"I asked you if uncle Owen is my real dad".

"Baby, where do you get that from? You know perfectly who your dad is".

The good thing about kids was that they weren't obsessed with a topic for much time, going around and around thinking about the issue like adults did; soon Angela left the subject of Owen and focused on another.

"Mommy, when will grandpa come? I miss him a lot". Angela asked with a pout.

"But if you talk to him almost every day on Skype".

"Yes but it's not the same… You also talk to auntie Zona and auntie Callie most of the time and the other day you said that you missed them".

Teddy couldn't help smiling; Angela was an extremely intelligent and perceptive girl for her young age.

"I'm afraid it's still a few weeks before grandpa Nicholas arrives. Are you excited about spending a week alone with him?"

"Yes and no".

"Why not?" Teddy asked confused, Angela loved her grandfather, and he to her, their video calls could be extended for hours so Teddy didn't find any reason why Angela wouldn't be happy.

"I'm going to miss you a lot. Do you really have to go to _Switz-land_? Are you coming back?" Angela asked sadly. In seconds Teddy was at her side, hugging her.

"My angel, of course I will come back, it will only be a few days you know I have to work, don't you?"

"Is it because I don't have a dad?" There it was again, the subject about _dad_.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if I had a dad he would work and you would stay with me, like many moms".

Sometimes Angela's intelligence made Teddy nervous; her daughter might bombard her with questions without giving her time to prepare an answer.

"Many mothers like me have to work. But enough talk, eat, your dinner it's getting cold".

"Can I go with you to _Switz-land_?!" Angela said with a huge smile, Henry's smile.

"Eat!"

"Mommy, please!" Angela begged with a sweet pout on her face. "Sally Graham would be very jealous; she doesn't even know _Fran-furt_ ".

"I can't my angel, I would gladly take you to Switzerland whit me but I can't. But I promise that soon you and I will travel to wherever you want".

"To Disneyland in Paris?"

"Again?"

Angela nodded energetically.

"Wherever you want, baby". Teddy answered tapping Angela's tip nose with her index finger.

"Sally Graham doesn't know Disneyland, not even Disney Paris. Did you know that grandpa promised to take me to the very first Disney in the world in California?"

"No if you don't eat. So eat munchkin".

The weeks passed and luckily Angela didn't bring up the subject of her father again, soon the date arrived and Teddy would leave for Switzerland, not knowing what this trip would bring her and how it would change her life.

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 **Song: You're The Best Thing About Me - U2**

* * *

 **What happened between Owen and Teddy?**

 **What or who will Teddy meet in Switzerland?**

* * *

 **On Sunday I finished writing all the chapters that I wanted to add to what I had written years ago** **and I am very excited for you all to read the end of this part and as well the second part.**

 **Don't hesitate to telling me what you think about the story** **or what you think will happen. ;)**


	18. Chapter 17

***KIND REMINDER: English isn't my language***

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Chapter 17

 **How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful**

 _"So much time on the other side waiting for you to wake up, maybe I'll see you in another life if this one wasn't enough, so much on the other side..."_

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It was Monday morning; Teddy was running from one side to the other getting ready the last of her luggage and arranging everything in the house so that her father and Angela had no problem during her absence. Meanwhile Nicholas watched his daughter with amusement, Teddy was a basket case, although she tried to pretend that everything was okay it was evident that she was sad to leave her daughter for so long trying to hide it by pretending she was arranging the house when in truth she wanted to gain more time with her baby girl. If it were up to her, she would cancel her presence at the "International Summit of New Techniques in Cardiothoracic Surgery" so she could spent the weekend with her daughter in pajamas, watching movies and eating junk food.

"Teddy, calm down, Angela and I will be perfectly fine, it's time for you to go or you'll miss the plane". Nicholas said in an attempt to reassure Teddy.

"Just give me a few more minutes I want to leave everything in order".

"But everything is in order, go, take your suitcase or I'll drag you to the train station".

"Okay, okay, there's a post-it at the refrigerator door with the hotel phone number, the ER number, Angela's pediatrician, police, firefighters ..." Before Teddy continued talking her father interrupted her.

"Firefighters, police? Are you serious, Teddy?"

"What? You never know it's best not tempt fate".

"Okay, enough, goodbye Miss. Angela, say goodbye to Mommy". Angela ran to hug her mother who couldn't help but shed a few tears.

"Mommy, don't cry; grandpa and I will be fine, I promise we will not burn the house". Angela said raising her little hand as a sign of promise.

"I know, my angel, I know. Dad, are you sure about this? I mean, your whole life you've had someone who does the things for you, do you even know how to use a washing machine?"

Nicholas didn't say anything; he simply walked toward the door, opening it wide with a sign with his hand that told Teddy that it was time to leave. Teddy grabbed her suitcase and headed for the door, not without before shower her angel with kisses and giving her father a hug.

"Mommy, bring chocolate! Tons of chocolate". Angela screamed at her mother who was heading for the taxi that had been waiting for her for a long time.

"Count on it, my angel!"

And with that Teddy was heading for the train station to head to Frankfurt where she would take her flight to Zurich, Switzerland.

Arriving in Zurich Teddy settled in the hotel, although she was accustomed to the cold of Germany, in a strange way Zurich cold was different; this didn't stop Teddy from going for a walk. Visiting the National Museum, the Zurich Opera, the FIFA Museum and ending at the Confiserie Sprüngli, where she bought the _"tons of chocolate"_ Angela had asked for and at the same time she indulged herself with succulent pastries and coffee.

Soon the night came and, since she had an early-morning conference the next day, she decided to go to rest, not before calling home to find out how things were going.

The next morning Teddy arrived at the conference center earlier than required so she decided to tour the place, maybe she would meet some colleague with whom to chat, pausing in front of the blackboard announcing the program for the day a name called her Attention. _Dr. P. Burke_. Teddy was sure that she had heard that name somewhere, yet she couldn't remember where, so she simply continued to check the blackboard, looking for some lecture that would catch her attention while humming a song, although she hadn't realized that it wasn't any song but _Hakuna Matata_ , there was no doubt that motherhood had changed her.

"I love that movie", said a voice behind her, turning to see who owned that voice Teddy couldn't believe who she met. Richard Collins, a former college friend and her boyfriend for 5 years.

"Richard, I can't believe it! What are you doing here?!"

"Well, it's the most important cardiothoracic surgery summit in the world. Where else should I be? Will you join Burke's conference?"

"I don't know, the conference that I had planned to enter begins in 20 minutes but I must confess that Dr. Burke's lecture sounds more interesting".

"How about we get in together?"

After thought for a moment Teddy agreed, both surgeons headed into the conference room and took their respective seats when suddenly the lights went out, only the stage light remained on. From the stairs descended a handsome, tall, African-American man dressed in an expensive suit most likely made to measure. _That face, that face and that name_ , Teddy spent the whole conference trying to remember until a comment from Richard made her realize who this man was.

"I knew you were in Seattle Grace Mercy West as head of cardio. Did you know that Burke was there before you?"

 _"Of course! Seattle! Burke! Christina!"_ Teddy thought, happy to finally know who this man was, he was nothing more and nothing less than the same Burke with whom Christina had been engaged.

Leaving the conference Teddy and Richard decided to go get some food before returning to the convention center. And it was just there, in the place where she least expected it, in a small but luxurious restaurant, of course it had to be luxurious, she didn't expect less of her; It was there that she saw her again; she was there in all her glory.

Cristina Yang.

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 **Song: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Florence + the Machine**

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 **So... Cristina.** **How will they react when they see each other? What will they say?**


	19. Chapter 18

***KIND REMINDER: English is not my lenguage***

 **This is the end of the first part, in the next few days I will start to publish the sequel, finally in Seattle!**

 **I hope you liked this first part :D**

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Chapter 18

 **Hey Girl**

 _Hey girl, we can make it easy if we lift each other. Hey girl, we don't need to keep on one-in' up another. Hey girl, hey girl if you lose your way just know that I got you…_

* * *

Teddy didn't know what to do, she could leave the restaurant since Cristina still didn't notice her presence but something inside told her to wait and that was it, suddenly Cristina turned her head to where she was, both looking each other's eyes, suddenly Christina rose from her chair and although at first hesitated at the end she went to where Teddy was sitting while waiting for Richard who was outside making a call.

Teddy could see the glimpse of a smile on Cristina's lips, but as soon as it appeared it disappeared. When Cristina was about to get to her table Teddy got up, when they finally were face to face they both remained silent, as if they wanted to analyze the body and facial language of the other to know how to start the conversation, Cristina was the first to speak.

"Dr. Altman, what a surprise to find you here". Said Cristina, revealing her pleasure in seeing her mentor again, even if she tried to hide it.

"Likewise, Cristina, and please call me Teddy, I think we've passed formalities after all". Neither of them knew how to proceed, it was certainly an awkward moment, though Teddy wasn't going to deny the enormous pleasure of seeing her former pupil. Luckily Christina wasn't a shy person.

"Are you here for the Cardiothoracic Surgery Summit?" Cristina asked as she sat at the table without asking, typical of her.

"That's right; I'll give a lecture next Thursday". Teddy said taking her seat and gesturing to the waiter.

"Really?! Too bad I have to go back to Seattle tomorrow, otherwise I'd be there".

It was suddenly as if the time hadn't passed and both were back in Seattle, talking about how to proceed or not in the O.R.

"And speaking of Seattle, how are things over there?"

"You know how Seattle is, something's always going on".

"Indeed, but tell me what you do here, you're here for the summit too?"

"Yes and no ... I'll leave Seattle." Cristina said as if it wasn't a big deal.

"How, why? What does Owen say about this decision?" Teddy was shocked.

"Doctor Burke offered me the job as head of his hospital here in Zurich; it's an opportunity I can't pass up, besides Owen has nothing to say about it, he and I have been divorced for a long time".

 _Burke. Job. Owen. Divorce._ All this was too much for Teddy. Noticing the astonishment in her face Cristina couldn't help but ask.

"Didn't Owen tell you anything?"

"Owen and I have years without talking and if you ask me I don't know why. Do you have any idea why his attitude with me?"

Christina didn't know where to start. "There was a lot of things happening, Teddy. The lawsuit for the plane crash became more complicated than we planned and as I say, Seattle seems to be cursed, tragedies never stop, and that add up to our personal problems and divorce ... Owen had enough on his plate".

"I know, but we're friends, he must have trusted me as I trusted him"

As the conversation was taking a rather dramatic course, Cristina, who wasn't good at dealing with drama that wasn't her own or Meredith's, simply decided to change the subject.

"I knew that you won the Harper Avery three years ago and you didn't go to the awards ceremony, I was nominated this year".

Cristina and awards, Teddy thought.

"Yes, I couldn't attend, my daughter had just been born and it had been little that I had joined MEDCOM, but I'm glad to hear about your nomination, really nobody deserves more than you". Teddy finished with a smile.

"Well, that's one of the reasons I left Seattle, while I'm there I'll never win a Harper Avery".

"Arizona told me that part of the Gray Sloan now belongs to the Harper Avery Foundation".

"That's right, so this is my chance to start from scratch ... but hey, let's stop talking about Seattle; you better tell me how you're doing in Germany".

"If I'm honest, I'm not enjoying it at all ... I haven't been in an O.R. for months, I have lots of paperwork to check daily, the only thing I know about current medicine is what we do in the army but nothing about the civilian world of medicine and well, between work and my daughter I have little time to do other things than complete paperwork or make finger-paint".

"I never thought you'd be a mother. When I found out, I couldn't believe it. Life is very ironic, isn't it? "Cristina asked.

"Why do you say?"

"Well, while you have a fatherless daughter Owen is moping around, wishing for someone to give him a child".

Teddy didn't know how to answer this.

"You know, you and Owen ... you're made for each other".

To hear Cristina say this left Teddy in shock.

"I mean, we were good, the sex was amazing and we worked together but deep down I always knew we wouldn't last, we both want things that are abysmally different and you ... well, you always knew what the other thought, I always envied that, you knew how he thought and how to handle Owen's dark and twisted mind".

After a long pause in which Cristina watched as Teddy processed her words, she continued talking. "You should go back to Seattle, to Owen, maybe he'll never tell you but he needs you, since you left he wasn't the same".

Just then Richard came back and Cristina took the opportunity to say goodbye.

"It was nice to see you again, Teddy. And think of what I told you, you two are meant to be".

Before Teddy could answer, Cristina was already out of sight.

"Who are meant to be?" Richard asked curiously.

The rest of the week passed without further news. Teddy's lecture on Surgical Techniques in War Wounded in Baghdad was a success and with the exception of the sexual encounter with Richard while they were completely drunk there wasn't much to tell. Christina's words kept spinning in her head, over and over and over again. Until Teddy made a decision that would change her life forever. Maybe not just hers…

* * *

 **Song: Hey Girl – Lady Gaga ft.** **Florence Welch**


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